Love is a Joke: A Joker Love Story
by MissBroadway91
Summary: Lyla is a journalist for the Gotham Times. When she begins dating Bruce Wayne, she finds herself thrown into the dark underworld of Gotham. She is suddenly the object of the Joker's obsession and the main priority of Batman. Who will win her heart?
1. Chapter 1

She couldn't look away from TV. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't look away. On the morning news broadcast on GCN, the face of the Joker captivated her as he unveiled his latest threats against Gotham City. After 2 years, he had escaped from Arkham Asylum. There was something about his scared, made-up face, and his shrill laughter that made her heart sink to the bottom of her stomach.

"Lyla! You're gonna be late for work!" cried her roommate, Jessica, from the kitchen, pulling her away from the trance of the Joker. Dressed in her black, feminine suit with a white under shirt, Lyla slipped on her heels and turned off the TV. As she hurried to the kitchen for her ritual morning bagel, Jessica appeared from the bathroom, still clad in her pajamas and bathrobe. "What were you doing in there?" she teased. "I thought you got up two hours ago. That's more than enough time for you to get ready."

"Sorry, I just…" Lyla began. How could she explain to her friend that she had been in her room obsessing over a mad man? "I just got caught up watching the news."

"Since when do you watch the news?" Jessica replied. "I thought you were an entertainment columnist, not a news person."

Jessica was right. Lyla Palmer had been working in the entertainment department at The Gotham Times for almost a year. After she moved to Gotham 2 years ago, she moved in with her college buddy, Jessica Perkins, in hopes of a making it as a big time journalist. Jessica used to date someone of worked for the Gotham Times; consequently, she hooked her friend up with an internship. The internship soon led to writing obituaries, which were never in short supply in Gotham. Obituaries soon turned into a few small film reviews. Then, a string of firings turned Lyla's small film reviews into her big break.

Although she was grateful for the opportunity, her goal was to write about real news; politics, murders, scandals. Lyla was hardly interested in the latest fashion trends or how was sleeping with who in Hollywood. Even though she was a great writer, two things stood in her way from writing for the news department of the Gotham Times. First, she hadn't been writing there long enough, not long enough to make an impression on the owner of the Gotham Times; Mr. Gary Turner. Mr. Turner, a thin, white haired man who thought all of Gotham revolved around him, had been the head of the paper for 15 years. He believed on running a tight ship; dirty desks, missed deadlines, and tardiness was unacceptable in his eyes. Mr. Tuner also believed on including family in business, which is why he made sure his niece, Deborah Cross, was in charge of the entertainment department. Deborah was the second hurtle Lyla had to jump in order to obtain a spot in the news section of the paper. Due to Deborah's habit of judging others before she meets them, she grew to hate Lyla and everything she had written. If it weren't for Mr. Tuner's faith in Lyla, Deborah would have made sure nothing she written would ever make it into the final draft. So, until Lyla could win over Deborah, she was forced to change focus from the latest mob crimes to fashion disasters one red carpet.

"I just got caught up, ok?" Lyla said to Jessica in an annoyed tone. Taking a bite out of her bagel, Lyla looked at the clock. Panicking, she shoved the rest of her breakfast into her mouth, grabbed her folder of papers and her cup of coffee, and headed out the door.

"Wait!" Jessica cried out after her. "Are we still on for Horror Movie Thursday tonight?"

"Yeah, I'll pick up Chinese on the way home." With those words, Lyla rushed out the door and headed towards the subway.

Lyla arrived 15 minutes late to work. She had never been late before, so she figured Mr. Tuner might let her off with a warning this one time. Still, she couldn't help but come up with a few excuses in her head so she could be prepared when he asked why she was so late. "Ok," she thought to herself, "I was stuck in morning traffic. No, my printer was running low on ink and it took twice as long to print my latest article. No, that's not good enough, either. Alright, I…"

Before she could finish her thought, Lyla bumped into someone walking on the opposite side of her; causing her body, along with her folder of papers and coffee, to crash to the floor. "Great," she thought. "Not only am I late, but I have just become the laughing-stalk of Gotham." She immediately sat herself up and began returning her papers to their proper place. Suddenly, as she reached for her plastic coffee mug, another hand came in contact with her own. The hand was soft, yet manly. Lyla's eyes feel upon the hand and migrated north to reveal the sleeve of an expensive, tailored suit. Her eyes continued to wander to his neck, chin, lips, nose, and then, his eyes. Lyla had never seen anyone so handsome. As she kept her stare on the stranger, she began to recognize the familiar face; the hand that was touching hers belonged to none other than billionaire Bruce Wayne.

"Are you alright?" Bruce asked. Lyla was unable to speak. After writing about his notorious scandals and seeing his face all over Gotham, she never imagined the native playboy to look so good in person. "Miss, are you alright?" he asked again.

"Yes," Lyla replied, coming to her senses. "I'm alright." She couldn't help but realize that he was staring at her the way she must have been staring at him. The two stood up without taking their eyes off each other.

"Um, I'm Bruce Wayne," he stuttered.

"Yes, I know," Lyla shyly responded. For a few seconds, no one dared to speak a word until Bruce finally broke the silence.

"Usually, during an introduction, you reply with your own name," her teased.

"Oh, I'm so sorry. Uh, I'm Lyla. Lyla Palmer."

"Lyla Palmer. So, Lyla, do you usually make this big of a commotion in the morning."

Lyla didn't know what to say. Her tongue became tied as he billionaire continued to flirt with her. Still taken aback by this chance meeting, she hardly noticed Mr. Tuner and Deborah Cross rushing in their direction. "What is going on here?" he shouted? As soon as she heard his voice, Lyla was immediately brought back down from Cloud 9. "Lyla, what happened?" he asked in a horrified voice. Before she could respond, Bruce began to take the blame for the accident.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Tuner," he said. "I was walking to the elevator, when I bumped into Ms. Palmer."

"Well, no harm done," said Deborah, flirtatiously. "Maybe next time, Ms. Palmer should watch where she is going." She eyed Lyla as she spoke those words.

"No, it was completely my fault. I apologize."

"Well," said Mr. Turner to the entire room. "Don't just stand there! Get back to work! Type! Do something!"

With that statement, the office became busy once again; except for Bruce and Lyla. He two still stood there staring at one another.

"Um, thank you, Mr. Wayne," she said.

"Please, call me Bruce."

"Bruce. Well, thank you, Bruce. How can I repay you?

"How about you go out to dinner with me on Saturday?"

She couldn't believe it. Did the most eligible bachelor in Gotham City just ask her out on a date? "I must have hit my head when I fell," she thought. Was she still dreaming? Even if she was, she knew she had to respond.

"Um…I…Yes!" she replied.

"Great! How about 7:30 at the Ballroom Restaurant?"

"That sounds great."

"Great," he said as he walked off.

Still staring at Bruce, Lyla felt as if she was flying. She had just made a date with a billionaire. Ignoring the coffee stain on her white undershirt, Lyla calmly walked to her desk, folder and coffee mug in hand. As she sat down, she reviewed the past hour. Lyla had gone from almost losing her job by running late to meeting the most handsome man she had ever seen. "Maybe," she thought, "this might not turn out to be a bad day after all."

"Lyla! Get in my office, NOW!!" screamed Deborah's voice over Lyla's intercom.

"Well, maybe it might."


	2. Chapter 2

"YOU'RE HAVE A DATE WITH WHO??"

Jessica nearly choked on her food when Lyla told her friend about her meeting with Bruce Wayne. "Why can't I ever bump into a billionaire and get his phone number in the process?" As they sat in the living room watching "It" on TV, Lyla continued to tell Jessica about how cute Bruce was and her plans on what she was going to wear.

"The only bad part about this," said Lyla, "is Deborah is insisting that I interview him for the paper. This is supposed to be a date, not a business meeting." Although she was flattered at the chance to write a non-entertainment article for the Gotham Times, she knew the reason Deborah gave her the story was because Deborah was jealous and was making every attempt to ruin her night. But nothing was going to stop Lyla from having a great time. She was going on a date with the most famous, most rich, and most handsome man in Gotham. Nothing, and no one, was going to destroy her perfect evening.

Lyla turned on her television as she finished preparing herself for her date with Bruce Wayne. Everything was turning out flawlessly. Her shoulder-length, brown hair was curled perfectly, her black cocktail dress was wrinkle free, and her make-up made her look like she was ready to walk the same red carpet she writes about so often. As she was securing an earring into her ear, she heard the television make an announcement.

"Breaking news; the Joker strikes again. This afternoon, at approximately 2:06 pm, Gotham City Bank was robbed by six men wearing clown masks; one of them was rumored to be Joker. Apparently, Gotham City Bank is the same bank robbed by the Joker 2 years ago. Officials are cracking down on security throughout the city to assure citizens that the mad man will not be able to cause the same havoc on the city as he once did. Some have even questioned whether to call upon Batman, Gotham's Dark Knight, for his help. Has the day finally come when Gotham is ready to, again, acknowledge the masked vigilante as a hero instead of an outlaw?"

Lyla remembered hearing about the Batman. When she had first moved to Gotham, police were just putting out a warrant for his arrest. Batman, who was once a savior in the eyes of Gotham's citizens, was now a villain; just like all the other whackos at Arkham. Lyla didn't see what was so bad about the Batman. He was the only one who was able to stop the Joker the first time around. He was a protector, not a villain.

"Has the day finally come when Gotham is ready to, again, acknowledge the masked vigilante as a hero instead of an outlaw?"

Bruce gazed at the television as he slipped on his coat. He was taken aback by the reporter's statement. Although he still kept a close watch on Gotham, he hadn't been able to return to his duties as the Batman for 2 years. Ever since the tragedy of Harvey Dent, he was seen by many as a villain. "Have people forgotten who the real villain was?" Bruce would often ask himself. He had always wanted what was best for Gotham, so he chose to send the Batman into exile and live solely as Bruce Wayne; Gotham's richest playboy. However, the thought of Batman's return made his head spin.

"Master Wayne," cried Bruce's servant, Alfred. "Are you almost ready? You wouldn't want to be late for your date with Miss Lyla, now would you? "

"Alfred," said Bruce. "Do you think that day has finally come? The day when Gotham finally wants Batman to come back?"

"Master Wayne, that day has already come. It came 2 years ago; the day that crime finally became a popular past time in this city again."

Bruce stared at the TV as a picture of the Joker filled the screen. "But now that the Joker has escaped, do you think Batman is ready to come back?"

"What do you think?"

Turning his head, Bruce said nothing, but gave Alfred a mischievous smile. "Alright," said Alfred. "Looks like it's finally time to dust off the old Bat-Suit, eh? But first, you'd best be on your way. The limo is downstairs waiting."

As Bruce walked out the door, his mind began to race with thoughts of getting back into crime-fighting. It was finally time for Batman's return.


	3. Chapter 3

"So, tell me about the famous Bruce Wayne."

Lyla and Bruce had both finished their dinner at the Ballroom Restaurant and were waiting for their dessert to arrive. She had told her date about her assignment, but he didn't seem to care. Disguised as small talk, the journalist began her interview.

"Well, what do you want to know?" he asked.

"I want to know how one of the most rich and powerful man in Gotham City can be such a down-to-earth guy."

"Oh I am, am I?" he said jokingly. "Well, my father always told me to not let money ruin me. I'm just like everyone else in this city; just with a bigger bank account."

"You mentioned your father. Do your parents still live in Gotham?"

Bruce paused and looked down at the table. "My parents were murdered."

Lyla's mouth opened in shock. How could she be so inconsiderate? "Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry. I must be the only one in Gotham that didn't know."

"No, it's alright. You've only lived here a few years. But I'm surprised, for a journalist, that you didn't know anymore."

"Well, my articles focus on movies and celebrities. Although you are a celebrity, I don't do much for the news department. But that is my goal. I'd do anything to right about topics that really matter!"

"Anything?"

"Well, almost anything."

As the two shared a laugh, their waiter brought their dessert. Lyla picked up her fork and continued the interview.

"So, Mr. Wayne, does your company have any plans on helping clear the streets of crime?"

"Wayne Inerprises gives our full support to our police forces and often supplies them with funding for, well, whatever the police spend their money on."

"Ok, speaking on crime," whispered Lyla. "What are your thoughts on the Batman?"

Bruce almost choked on a piece of cake as he heard the word "Batman" come out of her mouth. "Excuse me?" he said, clearing his throat.

"The Batman! What do you think about him?"

Bruce had to think carefully before he answered. Gazing at his beautiful date, he couldn't get the past years out of his head. How he first came up with the idea for Batman, how he first heard of the Joker, how the Joker destroyed the lives Harvey and… Rachel. "Well, I believe, even though he might have some mental issues, he did a good job, you know, fighting crime. But I also think he was a coward for leaving." This statement was true. He thought himself a coward for not ignoring the government's threats and continuing to avenge the death of his parents and Rachel.

"I guess you're right," replied Lyla. "But I still don't understand why everyone is so mad at him. He was a hero! He was the only one that could take down and get inside the minds of criminals like…" She hated to say it, but he was the only example she could think about. "… the Joker." Her heart began to pound as she said his name. She looked at Bruce, who began to grow a smile on his face.

"Yeah," he said. "I guess he was some sort of a hero."

Lyla decided to walk home. She didn't want to put Bruce through more trouble than she had. Besides, Lyla felt liked she needed to cool off. In one day, she had managed to go on a date, remind her date about his dead parents, make him extremely uncomfortable, and still manage to score a good-night kiss. It was hard to believe that she had just kissed the richest man in the city.

As she kept walking and reminiscing, Lyla began to hear footsteps behind her. She slowly glanced behind her shoulder. Although she could not see their faces, she saw two men following dangerously close. She began to walk faster, hoping to lose them. The men quickened their pace as well, and began to whistle and shout at her. "Hey sweetie!" one cried. "Where do you think you're going?" Lyla began to run. So did the men. Unfortunately, the strangers were faster.

One of the men hooked his arm around Lyla's neck, making her completely venerable, and pulled her into an ally. Lyla began to scream when the second stranger pulled a gun out of his jacket. "You scream, you die!" he shouted. Lyla quickly ceased her screaming; however, she couldn't stop tears from rolling down her checks as the second man grabbed her purse. Suddenly, a dark figure ran past the man holding on to Lyla. The men both stopped dead in their tracks. The first man let go of Lyla and threw her to the floor; tearing her perfect cocktail dress in the process. He pulled out a second gun and pointed it at Lyla's head.

"Whoever's there," he screamed, "back off or she gets it!" Just as he said that, the dark figure swooped down from the shadows and attacked the man. Lyla couldn't see much of what was going on, but the next time she saw the first man, he was on the ground; lifeless. The dark figure stood with its back towards Lyla. The second man, as soon as he was facing his mysterious foe, began to run away with Lyla's purse. Suddenly, the dark figure pulled something out of his cloak and threw it out the man. The object, which appeared to be a steel cutout of a bird, barely missed the man and became stuck in the corner of the alley.

As the dark figure began to run after the criminal, Lyla stopped it in its tracks. "Wait!" she cried. She wasn't exactly sure what she was going to say as soon as the words came out of her mouth. The figure stopped without turning around. "Thank you," she finally said. The figure began, once again to leave.

"Who are you?" she cried after him. The figure stopped once again. This time, it finally turned to face her.

"I'm Batman."

As he walked into the dark room, Jack could feel in his gut that his boss wasn't going to be happy. All he had was a stupid purse in his hand, not even sure if anything valuable was inside. He kept walking, when suddenly, his boss turned around from his chair and stared at him. The room soon filled with light, revealing the face of his employer; the Joker. His pale white face, his black round eyes, and his blood red, scarred face didn't make him feel any better.

"So," said the Joker. "What have you got for me?" Jack approached him and handed him the purse. Disappointed, the Joker turned his chair around to face his desk, and poured out the contents of the purse. "Did you kill her?" he asked.

"Um, well…" Jack began.

"You know, it's not like I asked you a hard question. Did you kill her? Leave her for dead? Slit her throat? Shoot her? Come on, give me all the gritty details." Just the thought of murder made the Joker's devilish smile grow twice its size.

"Well, boss, she got away before I could…"

"She got away?" said the Joker as he slowly turned his chair around. His real smile immediately faded.

"She had help." Jack said, trying to save his own life. "It was the Batman."

Like lightening, the Jokers smile returned. Finally, he was getting what he wanted. The Bat had come out of hiding. But why? Why would this simple robbery make the Batman return? He quickly picked up the wallet that was inside the stolen purse and glanced at the owner's driver's license. "Lyla Palmer," he read. He glanced at the picture on the card. He couldn't help but stare. Now he knew why the Batman had returned to save her.

"Well, hello beautiful!"


	4. Chapter 4

As soon as the elevator doors opened, Lyla sped to Mr. Tuner's office. His office had no windows, so it would be easy to show her boss the evidence she needed to start her new story privately. She walked into his office without knocking, and quickly shut the door behind her. "Ah, Lyla!" Mr. Tuner shouted as soon as he saw her enter the room. "How did your 'interview' go last night?"

"I have an even bigger story," whispered Lyla as she approached his desk. Mr. Tuner gave her a curious look.

"How big?"

Before he could say another word, Lyla dropped the steel cutout Batman had thrown in the alley onto Mr. Tuner's desk. When she found it stuck in the wall after her attack, she quickly determined that it was not a cutout of a bird, but of a bat. Mr. Tuner didn't take his eyes off the new discovery for a whole minute. He finally looked up at Lyla, who was smiling from ear to ear. "He's back," he said in a whisper.

"He's back!" repeated Lyla. In all her life, she had waited for a story like this to come along. Batman's return had given her a one way ticket to the news department of the Gotham Times.

"How did you find this?" asked Mr. Tuner.

"Well, I walked home from my date last night. Before I could get home, I was mugged by two men. As soon as one of the men grabbed my purse, Batman came in and saved me! He took down one of the men, but the other got away with my purse. The Batman threw this at the survivor, but hit the alley wall instead. He ran after the robber before he could retrieve it."

"How do you know it was 'the' Batman."

"I saw his masked face! I saw his cape! I have his weapon! I couldn't make this up if I tried! If you need any other proof, I can bring in the dress that was ripped during the attack!" Lyla then leaned over Mr. Tuner's desk and stared him straight in the eye. "Now, Mr. Tuner. I'm the first to see Batman in two years. Don't you think I deserve some kind of reward?"

Mr. Tuner gave Lyla another curious look. "What do think you deserve?"

"I want this story."

Lyla's boss stood up from his desk and walked around the room. "I don't know, Lyla," he said. "You're an entertainment writer."

"But who better to write this story than the journalist who actually saw the Batman first-hand? Plus, I've been wanting to join the news department ever since I came to work here. I know I can do this. YOU know I can do this."

Silence filled the room as Mr. Tuner ceased his pacing and began to think. "Alright," he finally said. "I'll let you have the story. But, if you screw this up, I'll demote you back to obituaries."

"Thank you, Mr. Tuner! I swear, you won't regret this!" Lyla ran out of his office with a smile on her face bigger than the Joker's. She sprinted to her desk, sat down, and immediately began typing. Deborah Cross walked by, and noticed Lyla's uncanny cheeriness.

"What are you so happy about?" she said, smugly.

"I've just been assigned my first news story."

"Really?" asked Deborah. She was shocked. She hadn't approved of this. What did Mr. Tuner think he was doing? "What about?"

"Only the biggest celebrity in Gotham City; the Batman."

He couldn't stop staring. The Joker sat in his chair, gazing at Lyla's driver's license. He was none for his smile, but nothing had made him grin so much as her face. There was no way to explain how he felt. He wanted her, but at the same time, his twisted mind felt like squeezing the life out of her. Maybe that was why he was never able to stay in a healthy relationship. Suddenly, one of his henchmen walked in holding a sheet of paper. "Well, what did you find out?" asked the Joker.

"Lyla Palmer," the henchman read. "Age; 26. Occupation; writer for the Gotham Times. Hometown…"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," interrupted the Joker. "Get to the good part, like who's she sleeping with? Where does she sleep?" The mad man leaped from his chair and pulled a knife out of his coat pocket. He began to twirl the knife with his fingers as the henchman continued to give him information on Lyla.

"She lives with her roommate at 718 Jones Street, Apartment 307. And, this is who she's dating." He handed the Joker a magazine clipping. The article read "Billionaire Seen On Town With New Girl." Above the article was a picture of Lyla entering a restaurant in the arms of Bruce Wayne. Near the end of the clip he read, "Wayne is to host a grand masquerade ball at Wayne Tower this Wednesday in honor of his birthday. The question is: will this new mystery girl be his date?"

"Don't make any plans for Wednesday," declared the Joker. We've got a party to go to." Not only did he want to ruin an evening of Gotham's most spoiled citizens, but the Joker also wanted to chance to meet Lyla. Never in his life had he felt this way over someone. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw her smiling face. Before his henchman could leave, the Joker spun his chair around and began to laugh. "Tell me one more thing," he commanded. "What's her blood type?"

"Jessica, I'm home!" Lyla walked in the door and quickly ran to Jessica's room. "How was your day?"

"Mine was good," she said as Lyla sat down on the bed beside her. "What about you, Mrs. Wayne? See your rich hubbie today?"

"He's not my husband!" screamed Lyla, playfully shoving her roommate.

"Oh, speaking of Bruce, you've got some mail in the living room!"

Lyla and Jessica paused, smiled at each other, and ran into the living room like excited high school girls. On the coffee table was a black envelope with Lyla's name written on it in gold letters. She opened the envelope to reveal an invitation to the Masquerade Ball at Wayne Tower. Also included with the envelope was a red rose. "Now how many people who got an invitation got a rose with theirs?' asked Jessica. The two giggled out of excitement. Suddenly, there was violent knock in the door. "I'll get it."

As Jessica got the door, Lyla couldn't take her eyes off the invitation. All this was happening so fast. In less than a week, she had managed to get a date with a billionaire, be rescued by Batman, and receive an invitation to her first major party. Could this really be happening to her?

"Well aren't you the popular one!" exclaimed Jessica as she entered the room and handed Lyla another envelope. Unlike the party invitation, the envelope was white, and, instead of gold letters written in cursive, here name was written in deep, red ink and looked like it had been written by a first grader.

"Who is this from?" asked Lyla.

"I don't know," Jessica replied. "When I answered the door, I found the letter on the floor."

Lyla put down the party invitation and began to open the envelope. Jessica couldn't see what was inside; all she could see was Lyla's eyes widen and her whole body began to shake. Suddenly, Lyla dropped to the floor in tears. "Lyla!" she cried. "What's wrong?" Lyla said nothing, but pointed to the envelope on the floor. Jessica picked it up and pulled out the contents.

Inside, was a Joker playing card, smeared with blood.


	5. Chapter 5

Bruce Wayne sat down in his chair and began to read the latest issue of the Gotham Times. On the front cover, "The Dark Knight Returns" was printed in big, bold letters. Below the title, he read that the author of this sensational article was none other than his girlfriend, Lyla Palmer. Who knew one little robbery-and-rescue could take up so much space in a newspaper. When he was done with the paper, Bruce turned on his TV, only to find Batman the main topic on GCN. 'Am I ready for this again?' he thought to himself. He had abandoned Batman for 2 years. Bruce thought back to the times when the Joker was first at large. How would his tricks be different? Would he be more predictable or would her be more difficult to figure out. And then he thought about Lyla. Bruce had never met anyone like her. She was talented, beautiful, and had a great sense of humor. What if she got tangled up into all of this? He couldn't afford to lose another loved one, like his parents or Rachel. No, not Lyla. Bruce loved Lyla. He would let anything hurt her. But what if bringing back the Batman had already endangered her?

Suddenly, the phone rang. "Alfred, could you get that?" Bruce yelled.

"Of course, Master Wayne," answered Alfred, picking the phone. "Hello, Wayne residence, who may I say is calling... Miss, calm down….Alright, hold on." Bruce turned his head to face Alfred, giving him a curious look. "It's for you, Master Wayne," said Alfred, solemnly. He hand Bruce the phone and left the room.

"Hello, this is Bruce Wayne," he said into the phone.

"Mr. Wayne, you have to come quick!"

"Who is this?"

"This is Jessica Perkins; Lyla's roommate. Please Mr. Wayne you have to come down to the police station!"

Bruce paused, horrified. "Why? What's happened to Lyla?"

"How did he find me? How does he know who I am? What does he want with me? Is he going to kill me?"

All of these questions began to race through Lyla's mind as she sat at the Gotham Police Station. After Jessica saw the bloody playing card in the envelope, she quickly picked up the phone and dialed 911. Lyla just sat there; pointing at the card. She couldn't move, think, or breathe. All she could do was stare. Jessica had to force her to get up and move to the car. Now, she was waiting to talk to the police commissioner. Her friend hadn't left her side, except for when she had to take a phone call. Although 

she appreciated Jessica being there, she didn't talk to her. She didn't talk to anyone. All she did was sit in her chair, gaze at the floor, and continued to think what a evil criminal master-mind would want with her. Lyla maintained focus on the floor when the commissioner ran into the room.

"Ms. Palmer, I'm Commissioner Gordon," he said, walking to his desk. He sat in his chair and gave Lyla a reassuring look. "Ms. Palmer, I assure you we're doing everything in our power to make you safe. But for now, I need you to tell me exactly what happened."

Lyla said nothing.

"Please, Ms. Palmer. We can't help you if you don't tell me what happened."

"I…I…" began Lyla

"Lyla!" cried someone from behind. It was Bruce. He had rushed to the police station as soon as he received Jessica's call. He ran over to Lyla, who sprung from her chair and embraced her billionaire boyfriend. "Lyla, thank God you're ok!"

"Bruce, I had no idea you were coming! Who told you?"

"Jessica called me. Lyla, what happened?

Lyla looked down on the floor, not wanting to say anything. She was trying her best not to relive that horrifying moment."

"Mr. Wayne," interrupted Commisioner Gordon. "I think I can explain. Can we talk out in the hall?"

Bruce nodded. He sat Lyla back in her chair and kissed her on her forehead. Outside of his office, Commisioner Gordon pulled out the bloody Joker card out of his trenchcoat. "We believe that she opened the envelope containing this card and freaked. Neither of them saw who dropped off the letter, but we're pretty sure he worked for the Joker. We scanned the envelope and the card, and there are no finger prints whatsoever.Do you know why the Joker might be after her?"

Bruce shook his head. It was impossible that the Joker knew she had connections to the Batman because of him. Also, the Joker usually left finger prints of his next victims on any evidence. "Do you think it had anything to do with the article she wrote about the Batman?" he asked. Commisioner Gordon did nothing but stare at Bruce after he said "Batman."

"We considered that, but the card was delivered an hour before the afternoon paper was released." Gordon then put his hand on Bruce's shoulder and pulled him closer into him. "Mr. Wayne," he whispered. "At this point, we're not making any assumptions on the Batman's return. In the police's eyes, he's still an wanted man. However, I think his homecoming might be good for Gotham."

Bruce said nothing. It was good to hear that Gordon was still an ally of the Batman's. The two men walked back into the commissioner's office. Bruce knelt by Lyla's chair and took her by the hand. "Lyla," he declared. "I swear to you, I will not let _anyone_ hurt you. I promise!"

The day of Bruce Wayne's Masquerade Ball finally arrived. Anyone who was anyone in Gotham showed up to celebrate Gotham's golden boy on his birthday. Due to the events of the past week, Bruce had doubled security, knowing that Lyla would be attending the party. He didn't want any chances.

Many guests had already arrived. The party had begun thirty minutes ago, and there still was no sign of Lyla. It made looking for his date even harder with everyone in masks. Suddenly, Bruce saw a women walk into the room. She had curly, shoulder-length hair, a gorgeous red gown, and was wearing a simple black mask. The woman saw Bruce gazing at her, and gave him the biggest smile. That smile made it certain to Bruce that the woman was Lyla. The two meet in the middle of the dance floor. Both could not say a word. They just smiled and stared into each others' eyes.

"You look beautiful!" Bruce finally said.

"You don't look too bad yourself." Lyla and Bruce paused again.

"Would you like to dance?" asked Bruce, gently taking her hand.

"I'd love to."

Downstairs, two security guards stood, in the cold air, front of Wayne Tower. One rubbed is hands together to keep warm, while the other used a scarf around his face to block the cold. "Getting pretty cold out there, huh?" said on guard, trying to make conversation. His partner didn't respond. "Hey, have you ever had to use your gun for something?" he asked revealing the gun at his waste. "I've only been on the force for a couple of months, so I haven't gotten much practice with it. I wonder if it's real powerful."

"Let's find out, shall we?" said the guard. Before her first guard could respond, the second guard grabbed the gun from his waist and shot him in the face. As the guard lay lifeless on the ground, the other man began to laugh and ripped the scarf from his neck; uncovering the scarred face of the Joker. He, then, pulled a walkie-talkie out of his back pocket. "All right, boys!" he said. "Let's crash this party!"


	6. Chapter 6

Lyla had been dancing with Bruce for what seemed like an eternity. She didn't know what it was about him, but she loved looking into his deep, brown eyes; even with his mask on. Bruce was sweetest, most handsome man she had ever known, and the money wasn't that bad either. As the two began to dance to another song Bruce began to speak.

"Lyla," Bruce said. "There's something I need to tell you."

"What is it Bruce?"

"Well, I know that we've only been together a short time, but, I think I l…"

Before he could finish his sentence, Bruce's phone began to ring. "Lyla, I'm so sorry. I'll be right back."

For the first time all night, Bruce released himself from Lyla's embrace and rushed to the back of the room to seek privacy. "Hello," said Bruce, answering his phone.

"Mr. Wayne. This is Commissioner Gordon."

"Yes, Commissioner. What can I do for you?"

"Mr. Wayne, I'm standing outside of Wayne Tower. Two of your security guards were found dead. We believe someone is trying to…"

Suddenly, gunshots filled the room. He peeked his head around the corner to see many men in clown masks fill the room. The Joker had found out about his party. But why was he here? Bruce snuck out the emergency exit and ran towards one flight of stairs to his office. As he pulled a book from the bookshelf, the walls separated, revealing his Batsuit.

Back at the party, the clown thugs began backing people away from the center of the room and threatening the guests with their machine guns. Lyla was caught in the middle of the crowd. The room fell silent as the doors opened and a sinister laugh filled the room. The Joker entered and stared down the party-goers. "Good evening ladies and gentlemen," he said. "I guess _my_ invitation got lost in the mail, so I decided to stop by and bring a few friends." He circled the room and looked almost every one of the guests in the eye. "Now, someone in here had lost something very valuable." The Joker reached into his coat pocket and pulled a small handbag. It was Lyla's purse.

"Does anyone know who this belongs to? Hmmm?" The Joker then pulled out a small knife and twirled it around his boney fingers. He continued to look around the room, when suddenly, his eyes fell upon Lyla. However, he wasn't certain it was her because of the mask over her eyes, but he thought he recognized her lips.

"You!" he yelled, pointing the knife at Lyla. As he made a gesture, one of the henchmen grabbed Lyla by the arm and brought her only a few feet away from the Joker. "Take off your mask." Lyla remained 

still. "I SAID TAKE IT OFF!" Lyla, startled out of her mind, removed her mask to reveal her face. "You must be Lyla!" he proclaimed. "Did you lose something?" Lyla looked down at the floor and said nothing. "Here, come get it." He commanded. Lyla didn't budge. "Don't worry, I won't bite!" As Lyla reached for her purse, the Joker grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her into him.

Lyla struggled to break free, but the Joker quickly pressed the knife against her cheek. "You know," he whispered into her ear. "You're driver's license picture does you hardly any justice. But then again, what has justice ever done for us?"As he spoke, Lyla stared into the Joker's eyes. Similar to the time she saw his face on the television, she couldn't look away. His menacing eyes burned into her own. She felt terrified and helpless.

"Tell me something, Lyla," the Joker asked, pressing the blade closer on her skin. "Have you ever danced with the devil in the pale moonlight?"

Lyla finally broke from the Joker's gaze, long enough to see the Batman standing right behind him. She gasped right before he took the Joker by the shoulders and tossed him into the wall. The mad man merely laughed off his pain and stood up, ready to kill. As he swung at the Batman, his henchmen stepped in to protect their boss. Many of them fired their guns at him, but before a single bullet could touch their target, Batman had knocked their guns out of their hands and began to fend them off. One of the henchmen snuck up behind Lyla and grabbed her by the waist; preventing her from escaping. The Joker then pulled out a much bigger knife from his coat pocket and hurled it at Batman. The knife cut through his suit and made a deep cut into his waist.

While another henchman tried to bring down Batman, the Joker ran towards Lyla. "Give me the girl!" he commanded. With one hand, he grabbed Lyla by the wrist, and with the other, shoved the henchman into Batman. He dragged Lyla near the exit. Batman threw the henchman out of his way in time to see the Joker leaving with Lyla.

"Let her go, Joker!" he yelled. The Joker turned around, threw Lyla in front of him, and placed the smaller knife against her throat.

"Now Batman," said the Joker. "Remember the last time you said that to me?" The Batman froze. His mind went back to the first time the Joker had crashed his party; when he had thrown Rachel out the window. Luckily, Lyla or the Joker was nowhere near a window.

"I'll tell you what," the Joker said, interrupting his daydreaming. "I'll let you choose you to save. Her?" He pressed the knife harder against Lyla's throat. "Or them?" With those words, he reached into his pants pocket, pulled out a bomb. "You've got thirty seconds." The guests panicked, giving the Joker his opportunity to escape, with Lyla still as his prisoner.

The Batman lunged at the bomb. 20 seconds. Moving through crowd he made his way to the nearest window. 15 seconds. Unhooking a Batarang from his utility belt, he threw it at the window; causing it to shatter into a million pieces. 5 seconds. He flung the bomb out the window, which exploded in mid-air. The party guests were safe. Now, he had to focus on saving Lyla.

The Joker still had Lyla by the wrist as the dragged her down the stairs of Wayne Tower, laughing as they ran. Two henchmen were following close behind. She had been unable to release herself from his grip. Lyla wasn't even able to speak. By the time they reached the last flight, Lyla had finally mustered the courage to say something. "Please," she pleaded. "Let me go!" The Joker stopped running. He gave his hostage the most evil look, then hurled her down the stairs. He laughed uncontrollably as she tumbled to the floor. Once she reached the bottom, the Joker ran after her, grabbed her by her now messy curls, and brought her to his eye level.

"You said you wanted me to let you go," he said. "So, I did!" He continued his laughing spell as her reattached his hand to her wrist and walked out the backdoor into an ally. Once outside, a black van pulled up next to them. Before the Joker could throw Lyla into the van, Batman came flying down from the sky. He punched the Joker, square in the jaw, as soon as he landed on his feet. The Joker fell to the ground, taking Lyla along with him. To distract the Batman, a henchman grabbed him by the neck with his arm, trying to put him on the ground as well.

Kneeling on top of Lyla, he pulled out his knife and grabbed her arm. "I'll be back for you!" he said. Twisting her arm, he took the blade and made a deep cut. Lyla screamed in pain. Standing up, still on top of her, he looked Lyla dead in the eyes. "I'm a man of my word."

The Joker left Lyla and ran towards the black van. "Let's go, boys!" The henchman who was attacking Batman released his grip and made his way to the van; however, he hadn't run two steps when Batman threw a small Batarang into the back of his leg. As he collapsed, the black van made its escape. Batman glanced around, and saw Lyla's unconscious body. Her red gown was sprawled across the pavement, her hair covered her face, and blood was streaming down her arm. He rushed to her and gently lifted her head. "Lyla!" he screamed. "Lyla, please answer me!"

Lyla slowly opened her eyes. She saw the Batman holding her. As several police cars began to pull up in front of the ally, she still could not keep her eyes off his familiar deep, brown eyes. "It seems like you have a habit of coming to my rescue," she whispered.

"I'll always be there to protect you."

With those words, Lyla passed out in the Batman's arms.


	7. Chapter 7

When Lyla awoke the next morning, she found herself at Gotham General Hospital. She rubbed her eyes and slowly lifted herself up. Beside her was a window sill cover with roses and balloons that read "Get Well Soon." To the other side of her bed, she saw Bruce sitting in a chair; starring at his newspaper. As she gazed at him, Lyla began to remember what had happened the night before. The Masquerade, the Joker, Batman. Could it have, possibly, been a dream? "Please," she prayed. "Let it have been a dream." She then remembered the Joker taking his knife and slitting her arms. Lifting up the sleeve of her hospital gown, she glanced down at her arm; only to see it tightly bandaged. Disappointed, she lowered her sleeve and covered her head with her hands. Her encounter with the Joker had not been a dream.

Suddenly, Bruce noticed that she had awakened. "Lyla!" he exclaimed. "How are you feeling?"

"Where were you last night?"

Bruce said nothing. He got up from his chair, knelt down by her bed, and took Lyla by the hand. "I'm so sorry, Lyla. I wish I could explain, but…"

"But what? I was almost kidnapped last night. I thought you said you wouldn't let anyone hurt me."

"Lyla, please forgive me!" Bruce didn't know how to explain to Lyla how he really was there to protect her, just not as himself.

Lyla looked Bruce softly in the eyes. "It's ok, Bruce," she said. "Besides, there wasn't anything you could do. The Joker's too dangerous. I wouldn't want you getting hurt." She leaned over her hospital bed and kissed Bruce.

"The doctors want you to stay overnight," said Bruce.

"Why?" Lyla asked. "I'm perfectly fine!"

"It's just a precaution," Bruce assured. "They also want to see how your arm is doing in the morning. You know, to make sure it's not infected." Lyla looked down at her arm. Her arm still stung with pain, and blood was still seeping through her bandage. As soon as her eyes met Bruce's again, a nurse walked into the room.

"I'm sorry, sir. Visiting hours are almost over."

As Bruce rose from his knees, Lyla grabbed him by the arm. "Please, don't leave me!" Lyla begged.

"I wish I could stay, but I do have some business I have to take care of tonight." He gave Lyla a kiss on her forehead. "I'll be back first thing in the morning. Goodnight."

Lyla watched Bruce leave. Suddenly, she remembered how he was about to tell her something at the party before his phone rang. "Bruce!" she yelled. He quickly turned around to face her. "What were you going to tell me last night?" Bruce smiled at her.

"I was going to tell you that I love you."

Commissioner Gordon stepped into the interrogation room. Inside, the Joker's henchman sat with his handcuffed hands resting on the table. Thanks to Batman's help, they finally had their first stepping stone in finding the Joker and foiling anything he was planning for Gotham City. He walked over to the table and set down. "So," he began. "You wanna tell me what the Joker was doing at Bruce Wayne's party?" The thug said nothing. "You know, either you stay quiet and be charged with contempt, or you tell us what the Joker's plan was last night and you might get off a little earlier." He still remained silent.

"Fine, if that's the way it's gonna be…" Gordon got up from his chair and left the room.

'He's all yours."

The Joker's henchman sat back in his chair and looked around the room. He looked to the back of the room, then looked forward; only to find the Batman standing in front of him. He fell back in his chair, while the Batman walked over to him and grabbed him by his shirt.

"What was the Joker planning last night?" yelled the Batman.

"I don't know!" screamed the henchman.

"LIAR!" Batman declared, throwing his victim into the wall. He ran to the henchman and pulled him up to his eye level with his collar. "What did he want?"

"Please don't hurt me!"

"Tell me the truth and I won't have to! What was he doing at that party?" The Batman raised his fist; ready to strike.

"Ok, ok! I'll tell you!" cried the thug. "He wanted the girl!"

Batman, trying to hide his true identity, froze, dropping the henchman to the ground. Before the henchman could reach the corner to hide from the masked man, Batman came to his senses and returned his grip on the henchman's collar. "What did he want with her?"

"I don't know! I swear! We were told not to ask questions!"

Suddenly, history began to repeat itself. Batman had once again put his loved ones in danger.

Commissioner Gordon found the Batman sitting on the edge of the police station roof. He knelt on the ledge, watching the streets of the city he most vigorously protected. As the Commissioner approached him, the Batman didn't move or speak.

"Batman," began the Commissioner. "We need your help."

"Why know?" replied Batman in his gruff voice. "Why not two years ago?"

"Gotham felt that they could do without Batman; thinking he thought himself to above the law. But it turns out, the only law that could cease the city's corruption was Batman."

"I don't want the innocent's blood on my hands any longer."

"Then why did you come back?" Batman fell silent. He couldn't tell the Commissioner the truth; that he had returned to a life of crime fighting out of love. "We're willing to issue a full pardon," said the Commissioner.

Batman turned to face Commissioner Gordon. "A pardon can't change what I've put this city through."

Frustrated, the Commissioner stared Batman dead in the eye. "Look, I don't care what anyone else has to say about it. You're the only one who could ever control crime in Gotham; not any of its policemen or politicians. You're not a coward! You're the hero Gotham deserves!"

With that, Batman walked passed Commissioner Gordon and headed towards the opposite end of the rooftop. Before he could fly away, the Commissioner made a desperate statement.

"What would Rachel want you to do?"

Batman stopped in his tracks. He thought about his first love; how she would have stopped at nothing to do what's right for Gotham. Now, he knew what he had to do. Batman must once again become Gotham's savior. Not only for the city's sake, but also for Lyla's. He made a promise to her that he intended on keeping. Before leaving, Batman slowly turned his head to Gordon.

"I want my Bat-Signal back."

"_I'll be back for you! I'm a man of my word."_

Lyla awoke in a cold sweat, gasping for breath. Her nightmare had seemed so real. In her dream, she awoke from her bed to find the Joker at the foot of her bed; his cold eyes starring her down, his knife gripped between his fingers, his scared face red with blood. She escaped from the nightmare as soon as the mad man grabbed her by the feet. Thank god it was just a dream.

Thirsty, Lyla detached herself from her hospital bed and went to the bathroom for a cup of water. When she returned, she sat her cup down and crawled back into bed. Lyla gave one last look around the 

room; making sure there was no one in her room that shouldn't be. As her eyes reached her the place where the Joker had taken her by the feet, she found herself gazing at a black rose. Lyla, out of pure curiosity, reached to the end of the bed and picked up the flower. Attached to the rose was a playing card, with the words 'Get Well Soon' written on its back. The other side of the card revealed a joker.

Lyla quickly cover her mouth with both her hands. The Joker had kept his promise. He had found her.


	8. Chapter 8

The Joker spun his knife slowly in his hands. It was still crusted with Lyla's blood. There was no way he could get her off his mind. He even tried killing one of his henchmen in attempts of forgetting her; unfortunately, it failed. What was it about her? Beauty had never been a big issue for him. He sensed something inside of her that drove him crazy, which was rare for an already-insane man. Even though he had started to grow on the girl, he had some competition for Lyla's affection. It seemed that, no matter where she was or who she was with, Batman was always there to rescue her. Could it be that Lyla was the love interest of the Batman? Suddenly, one of the Joker's henchmen walked through the door.

"Hey, boss…" he said.

The Joker spun around quickly in his chair. "Can't you see I'm busy?" he replied.

"Sorry to bother you, boss, but we got the names."

"Well, give them to me!" Standing up from his chair, the Joker grabbed a piece of paper from his henchman's hand. He skimmed through the list of names that were on the paper. Sitting back in his chair, the Joker ran through his master plan in his head. He had never been one for plans, but this time, he was willing to make an exception. This time, no one could stop him from taking over Gotham City once and for all; not even Batman. Everything was going according to his plan; however, he never expected to fall in love.

Lyla sat at her desk typing her latest story. She tried her hardest to concentrate. Even though it had been a week since her encounter with the Joker, she could get him off her mind. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw his chalky white face. He was nowhere near her, but the Joker was still able to torture her. As she typed, she found herself misspelling the simplest words as the Joker's cruel laugh rang in her ear. Lyla finished her third cup of coffee, sat down her mug, and cradled he head in her hands. Suddenly, Deborah Cross stomped towards her desk.

"Lyla!" Deborah scolded. "Wake up!"

Lyla quickly brought her attention to her harsh boss. "Yes, Deborah."

"I want that article on my desk before you leave. This isn't nap time!"

As soon as her boss left, Lyla sat back in her chair and returned to her typing. Once she had finished with her first draft, she clicked on the Internet Explorer icon, and proceeded to check her emails. Lyla had one new message. She clicked on the link to the email that had been forwarded by an anonymous sender. Unexpectedly, her computer screen went to black. Shocked, Lyla quickly checked the wires under her desk. Everything was plugged in. The light on the monitor was green, so she knew the computer was still powered on. When her eyes meet the computer again, she saw several 

"HAHAHAHA"'s written in red fill the screen. Lyla cover her mouth with her hands. She knew this was the working of the Joker. Then, Lyla's phone rang, taking her totally aback.

"Hello, this is Lyla Palmer," she said, answering her phone.

"Did you get my email?" said a frightening voice on the other end of the line. Lyla froze in her seat. She recognized that voice; it was the Joker.

"Who is this?" she asked, just to make certain she was talking to her stalker.

"You didn't answer my question. Did you get my email?"

"I did, but why?

"You know, Lyla, you look like you've had a rough week. Those bags under your eyes, your messy hair pulled back…" Lyla looked around the room. How could he see her.

"Where are you?" Lyla asked.

"I must say, you do look good."

"Please, tell me where you are!" Lyla demanded as she stood up from her chair and continued searching for him.

"If I told you, I would ruin the joke! Don't you wanna guy who makes you laugh?"

"LEAVE ME ALONE!"

Suddenly, every employee of the Gotham Times fell silent. The sounds of the Joker's laughter filled the room as Lyla dropped her phone and fell to the floor. Mr. Turner and Deborah Cross came running towards the commotion. "Lyla, what's the matter?" asked Mr. Turner. As they stared at Lyla, whose tears prevented her from speaking, they heard the Joker's evil voice coming from the phone. Once he had hung up, Deborah slowly knelt down beside Lyla.

"Why don't you take the rest of the day off," she suggested.

Lyla lifted her head and looked into Deborah's eyes. Out of nowhere, she saw something in her she thought she would have never expected to come from Deborah; compassion.

That night, Lyla and Jessica sat in the living room; eating Chinese food and watching movies. This was Jessica's way of therapy. She knew her best friend was going through a _really_ rough time. Just one Gene Kelly movie was all it took, and Lyla had nearly forgotten that day's freaky phone call. After two cartons of lou mien, the two friends were ready to read their fortune cookies.

"Okay," said Jessica. "I get to open mine first." She cracked open her cookie and read. "'Your life will soon take an interesting turn.' Well, I hope not too much!" They both giggled as Jessica handed Lyla her fortune cookie.

"'A close friend will share a secret with you.' Yee, Jessica, what have you been doing in your spare time?" Laughing, Jessica got up from the couch and threw their leftovers away. Lyla reached for the remote and turned the channel on the TV. As she reached GCN, the reporter had just begun a segment on Batman.

"Gotham City Police have issued a full pardon for the masked vigilante known as Batman. Sources say they are counting of the so-called 'Dark Knight' to help recapture the Joker."

Lyla shivered at the sound of his name. Images of the party and her abduction ran through her head. There was no escaping the thought of him. Jessica re-entered the room to see Lyla's eyes glued to the television. She rushed to the TV and pressed the power button.

"Hey!" exclaimed Lyla. "What are you doing?"

"What's best for you," she replied. "Look, Lyla, I know you're going through a rough time. But watching this kinda stuff isn't helping!"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, watching him on TV isn't gonna make the thought of him go away. You want to torture yourself?"

Lyla knew that when she said 'him,' Jessica meant the Joker. "No, he's doing enough of it."

"Well, I'm off to bed. You need to be sleeping, too."

"Yeah, I'll go to bed soon."

"Ok, just don't stay up too late."

As Jessica left the living room for her bed, Lyla put on her robe and opened her window and walked onto the fire escape. It was a very cold night in Gotham. The clouds were black and the sound of thunder could be heard in the distance. She stepped closer to the railing, only to see a shadowy figure on the neighboring fire escape watching her. Frightened, Lyla slowly began to back away. As the stranger stepped into the light, the face of the Batman was revealed. Lyla sighed with relief and stepped forward.

"You scared me!" she declared.

"I'm sorry," said Batman in his gruff voice. "I didn't mean to."

"What are you doing here?"

"I told you I'd always be here for you."

Lyla looked down and smiled. Was this really coming from Gotham's Dark Knight? What made her so special? Batman had saved plenty of beautiful women. Why was he attracted to her? She lifted her gaze and looked the Batman in the eyes. Lyla didn't know why, but she could have sworn she had seen those eyes outside the mask. All of her attention was fixed on the man in front of her, and for once, she thought nothing of the Joker.

"I talked to Gordon. We're doing everything possible to keep you safe."

"Why me?" she asked, curiously. "Why am I getting special treatment?"

"The Joker thinks you have a connection to me."

"Then why does he keep sending me playing cards? Why does he insist on calling me at work? Why me?" Lyla couldn't help but think this might not be just about the Batman. She suddenly realized that the Joker was not the only one constantly watching her; Batman was, too. "And why are you here? All of Gotham is crying for your help! Why are you at _my_ window?"

Batman stepped closer to Lyla. "I wish I could tell you."

Lyla stood in place as the Batman approached her. He gently brought his gloved hand to stroke her hair. Letting go of all her inhibitions, she gave into the Batman's control as he pulled her lips to his. As the two embraced as rain began to shower Gotham City. Time seemed to stop as Batman held Lyla in his arms. Slowly, he pulled himself away, Batman and Lyla's eyes met. Nothing like this had ever happened to either of them. For the first time in a long time, Batman was able to be himself while hidden behind his mask. He unwillingly backed away from Lyla. She was soaked from the rain, but she didn't move. Lyla held her position without taking her eyes off Batman.

Without warning, Batman smiled at her and leaped from the fire escape. Lyla rushed to the railing. "Batman, wait!" But it was too late. She looked down at the ally below to see the masked hero take off on his Batpod. As she watched him ride into the darkness, she grinned from ear to ear; reminiscing on their kiss. Lyla finally pulled herself away from the ledge. Suddenly, a horrifying thought came to her mind.

How was she going to explain this to Bruce?


	9. Chapter 9

Jessica and Lyla entered the fitness center and settled themselves on a treadmill. As Lyla increased the machine's speed, she kept thinking about her encounter with Batman. She ran, hoping to escape everything that has happened; unfortunately, she was going nowhere. Without thinking, Lyla spilled to her friend about the events of the night before. "Hey, Jessica…" she said, breathing heavily.

"What's up?" Jessica replied.

"I have to tell you something."

Jessica lowered the speed on her treadmill and gave Lyla a weird glance. "Spill," she demanded.

"Ok, so when you left to bed, I went on the fire escape. When I looked around, I saw someone watching me…"

"Lyla, was it _him_? Why didn't you call for help?"

"No, it wasn't _him_. It was someone else."

"Who?"

"The Batman."

"What? What was he doing there?"

"I don't know! He was just… there! But that's not the important thing. See… he… he kissed me."

As soon as she heard the words come out of Lyla's lips, Jessica tripped on her treadmill; almost sending her face-down. She recovered her balance and gazed at her friend with a shocked look. The two said nothing, until they finally began to giggle like teenager girls.

"Oh my gosh! Lyla!" screamed Jessica. "And I thought I was the loose one!"

"Shut up!" Lyla responded. "It just…happened! I wasn't thinking. He just came up to me and kissed me!"

"So, Batman showed up at our apartment, wanting a kiss? Did you think about what Bruce might think?"

"That thought has been killing me."

"Are you gonna tell him?"

"I don't know. I'm supposed to be going on a date with him tonight. But how do I explain to him that I 'cheated' on him with a superhero?"

"Girl, you've got issues!"

The two friends laughed and kept going with their exercise. As she ran, Lyla thought of ways of how she was going to explain herself, but she figured there was no good way to tell your boyfriend you kissed Batman.

Bruce stepped into his walk-in closet and tried to decide on which tie to wear for his and Lyla's date. As he picked on up out of its resting place, the house phone began to ring. "Alfred," he yelled. "Could you get that?" The phone stopped ringing as Bruce placed his tie around his neck. He walked out of his closet and met Alfred in the living room.

"I'm terribly sorry, Master Wayne," Alfred said. "That was Mr. Turner, Miss Palmer's boss, on the phone. He said that he had to call Lyla in for work and regrets she will not be able to make it tonight." Surprised, Bruce began to un-do the tie that took him so long to pick out. He had gotten his hopes so high for this date. Bruce loved Lyla, and knew this was the night when he had to tell her the truth. There was no way he could hide it any longer. In his mind, he imagined two scenarios; she would either leave him for lying to her or to save herself from danger, or she would stay with him out of love. He prayed that she would choose the second option. In the meantime, his free night would give him a chance to patrol the streets of Gotham as his alter-ego.

However glad he was that he could get some work done as Batman, he couldn't help but feel a great deal of sadness for the canceling of his date. It seemed like Lyla was always the first thing on his mind. Lyla's image ran through his mind as he pulled a small box out of his jacket pocket. His hope was that the diamond ring inside the small box would help him keep Lyla safe beside him; away from the darkness.

Lyla looked at herself in the mirror. Her make-up was flawless, and her hair immaculate. The light blue cocktail dress she was wearing made her look ten pounds lighter. There was no way Bruce would be able to resist her, even after her confession. Stepping towards her dresser, Lyla closed her eyes and tried to imagine how she wanted the date to go; however, the only thing that ran through her mind was the image of the Joker's scared smile. Gasping, she opened her eyes and slammed her hands on the dresser for balance. When she caught her breath, Lyla lowered her gaze to the black rose which the Joker had 

left for her in the hospital. Why she kept the rose, she'll never know. For some reason, she couldn't find the strength to dispose of it.

Taking her eyes off the rose, Lyla glanced at the digital clock near her bed. She was going to be late for her date with Bruce. She quickly grabbed her sweater and her purse, and ran towards the door. As she opened the door, she found two men standing in front of it. They turned around to reveal their faces covered with clown masks. Before she could blink, the two men each grabbed one of her arms and brought her to her knees. As she struggled to break free, a sinister laughter came from the hallway. The Joker soon appeared in Lyla's doorway. "Honey!" he cackled. "I'm home!" Lyla tried even harder to release herself from the henchmen's grip, but it was no use. "Take her into the living room," he continued. "We need to have a little chat."

With those words, one of the henchmen threw Lyla over his shoulder and carried her into the living room. Once there, he dropped her on the couch, grabbed her wrists, and began to tie them in front of her. "This is just so we can keep an eye on where your hands are," said the Joker as he walked in front of Lyla. The henchman backed away slowly, pulling a gun out from his back pocket and pointing it in Lyla's direction. As Lyla tried to free her hands from the duct tape, the Joker stepped even closer to her; pulling a knife out of his pocket. "Are you in a hurry to leave me? You've got nowhere to go tonight." Lyla tried to argue with him, but she was quickly interrupted. "Don't you remember, dear? You were called into work tonight." Lyla realized what he was getting at; the Joker had called Bruce and canceled their date. However cruel it might have been, she had to admit his plan was clever.

The Joker slowly knelt down beside his captive. "What's the matter, Lyla?" he asked sarcastically. "Is it the scars? Wanna know how I got 'em?" The Joker forcefully grabbed the back of Lyla's neck and placed his knife to her cheek. She tried to get away, but Lyla was soon caught in the Joker's gaze. "So I had a wife, beautiful, like you, who tells me I worry too much. Who tells me I ought to smile more. Who gambles and gets in deep with the sharks... look at me! One day, they carve her face. And we have no money for surgeries. She can't take it. I just want to see her smile again, hmm? I just want her to know that I don't care about the scars. So, I stick a razor in my mouth and do this to myself. And you know what? She can't stand the sight of me! She leaves. Now I see the funny side. Now I'm always smiling!"

Lyla struggled to free her neck from the Joker's grip, when she finally succeeded, she looked the Joker dead in the eyes. "I'm not afraid of your scars!" she proclaimed. Laughing, the Joker left Lyla's side, grabbed a chair, and brought it in front of Lyla. "What do you want with me?" she asked as the Joker sat in front of her.

"I just want to ask you a question. Why are you so popular?"

"What?"

"Why are you so popular? I mean, you've obviously caught my attention, and you've got Gotham's pretty-boy waiting on you hand and foot! But, I've also noticed you have another admirer." The Joker gave her a curious look. Lyla stared at him, realizing that he knew about her relationship with Batman. The Joker leaned closer to Lyla from his chair. "What do you know about the Batman?"

"I don't know anything about Batman!"

"Well you must know something. If you didn't, what was he doing here last night? Did he just pop in for a kiss? Hmmm?"

Lyla's whole body went numb. Had the Joker been watching her all night? "How did you know?" she said, terrified.

"Trust me," he replied in a low, harsh voice. "I have my ways." With those words, the Joker broke out in his infamous laugh. When he was done, he motioned to his henchmen. The two clowns left the room; leaving Lyla all alone with the Joker. Fear began to fill Lyla's soul. What was he going to do to her if she couldn't tell him who Batman was. She began to cry as she thought of the horrifying consequences."

"Please," Lyla pleaded. "I don't know anything! Please let me go!"

The Joker leapt from his chair. With his knife still in his right hand, he placed his left hand on Lyla's shoulder, and gently ran the face of the blade across her cheek. "Shhh, don't cry," he said with a surprising easiness to his voice. "I won't hurt you…" Lyla lifted her teary eyes to his. This was something she would never expect to come from a psychopath. His eyes, for once, held no anger or hatred. In its place, there was a calming reassurance. Unfortunately, a wicked smile grin filled the Joker's face. "…yet!" His original being returned as the Joker's laugh filled the apartment.

Lyla knew if she didn't get away, there was no way to imagine what the Joker would do to her. Using her free legs, Lyla kicked her captor in the stomach; knocking him into his chair and onto the floor. She noticed that, during the Joker's fall, his weapon was released from his hand and was now lying on the floor beside the couch. Lyla dove for the knife and grabbed it with her bound hands. The Joker and Lyla picked themselves off the floor simultaneously. The Joker began to chuckle as he saw Lyla pointing the knife towards him. "A little fight in ya," he said. "I like that!"

"Get out of my apartment and leave me alone!" Lyla screamed.

"Or what? You'll kill me?" Continuing his laughing, the Joker noticed the knife shaking in Lyla's hands. "Go ahead, kill me. Do you have it in you?"

Lyla said nothing, but stood in place, puzzled. She wanted to stab the Joker, but she couldn't bring herself to step any closer to him. She didn't have to; the Joker had already begun to walk towards her. "I'm disappointed in you, Lyla. I thought you might have what it takes." With that, the Joker fiercely struck Lyla across the cheek; causing her to fall the floor, smashing her head on the wooden ground. "Don't worry, I'll break you of that weakness." Feebly, Lyla brought her hands to the side of her head. When she brought them into sight, she saw blood covering her fingers. Her world suddenly became blurry, but she was able to see the Joker kneeling down to her level. He once again grabbed the back of her neck and lifted her wounded head.

"I'm not the only one with scars, Lyla," said the Joker. With his free hand, he grabbed Lyla's arm and brought the scar which he had given her the night of Bruce's party into her peripheral vision. "You see this scar? This shows that you are mine, and no one else's!" At those words, Lyla passed out.

The Joker stood up and looked down at his prisoner. He could kill her right now. What was holding him back? Torturing her wasn't the only thing he wanted to do to her. For the first time, the Joker began to smile out of compassion, and not madness. Slowly, he lifted Lyla off of the floor and headed to her bedroom. He gently lowered her onto the bed and sat down beside her. She looked so beautiful to him as she slept. With his hand, the Joker soothingly stroked the cheek which he had recently attacked. "Why do I feel this way?" he asked himself. This feeling was something the Joker had never experienced. "Is this what they call love?"


	10. Chapter 10

"_You're mine, and no one else's!"_

Lyla woke to find herself resting in her bed. She couldn't remember how she got there. The sheets were covering over her feeble body, and she was clad in her favorite pajamas. As she lifted herself from her pillow, she saw that it was stained with blood. Her fingers touch the back of her head, and came back colored a dark red. Suddenly, everything came back to her. Lyla remembered the Joker breaking in to her apartment, holding her captive, and knocking her to the floor. But what Lyla remembered most was the second of compassion in the Joker's eyes. Her mind then went back to her present status. Who had taken her to bed? Who had cut the duct tape off of her still-sore wrists? And most important, how did she get into her pajamas?

The only people who she thought would have come to her rescue were Jessica and Bruce. Weakly, Lyla threw her feet over the bed and stood up; stumbling trying to catch her balance. Her vision was still blurry from her concussion. As she reached her bedroom door, Lyla called out for her friends. "Jessica? Bruce? Are you there?" Lyla came walked down the hall and into the living room; only to see the Joker seated on the couch, watching TV. As she tried to back away without being noticed, the floor slowly creaked and the Joker froze in his seat. Gradually, he turned his head and gave Lyla a wicked smile. "Well, well, well," he said as he stared her down. "Looks like Sleeping Beauty decided to wake up." Seeing the Joker, Lyla's head began to throb. Her knees weakened and she slowly sank to the floor. The Joker rushed to her side and, with a surprising gentleness, picked her up and assisted her to the couch. Once there, Lyla rubbed her head; trying to ease the pain.

"What are you still doing here?" she softly asked.

"Well, I wanted to make sure my girl was ok," he replied as he sat beside Lyla. She tried to move away, but the Joker put his arm around her and pulled her closer to him. "You know, you took a really nasty fall yesterday?"

"No thanks to you!" said Lyla as she broke from the Joker's grip. The Joker just threw his head back and laughed. Slowly, he pulled a knife out of his pocket and pointed it in Lyla's direction.

"Now, before I go, I'm going to ask you this one more time: What do you know about the Batman?"

Lyla looked him dead in the eye, like she wasn't afraid of what he was going to do to her. "I told you! I don't know anything!"

Before she could take a breath, the Joker grabbed her by the throat and violently lied her down on the couch. Licking his scared lips, he brought eh knife to Lyla's check. "You know what the funny thing is?" he asked, still clutching his captive by the neck. "I could have easily killed you last night. I wanted to! But I didn't! I guess I just love you too much to do that!"

Lyla froze as she listened to the words come out of his mouth. Did he just say he loved her? How could a villain like him ever understand love? As she continued her struggle for freedom, the Joker glanced at clock that was hanging on the living room wall. "Would you look at the time?" he said as he detached himself from Lyla. "Someone has to go to work today!" The Joker was about to leave the room, when he turned around one last time and stared At Lyla. "Don't worry about me, I'll call you later." Laughing, the Joker left Lyla's apartment.

Lyla tried to remember all that had just happened, but it all seemed like a blur. The only thing she fully comprehended was the Joker saying he loved her.

Later that day, Lyla sat at her desk trying to think of something to write about her latest assignment. With her hair in a curly mess and outfit all in black, she looked as if she was on her way to a funeral. In fact, Lyla felt like her soul had died. Her past encounters with the Joker had done some serious damage. No matter where Lyla went, he was always there; visiting her every time she closed her eyes. His laugh rang through her head as her skull throbbed with pain. The Joker had replaced her happiness with fear.

As Lyla blankly stared at her computer screen, Deborah Cross came up to her. 'Oh, great!' thought Lyla. 'Her complaining is the last thing I need right now.'

"Have you got your story done yet?" Deborah asked. Lyla said nothing, but she could see her boss peeking towards the screen out of her peripheral vision. "I thought so. Its ok, Lyla. Take your time." Lyla wasn't sure if she heard kindness or sarcasm in her voice. She could never tell with Deborah. When Deborah left for her office, Lyla buried her head in her arms; preparing herself for a nervous breakdown. Suddenly, her phone rang.

"Lyla Palmer," she answered meekly.

"I had someone treat me like that before," said the Joker's voice from the other end of the phone. "Of course, that person is dead now."

"Where are you?" she asked demandingly.

"That's for me to know, and you not to find out."

"I'm working! Why are you calling me?"

"Why do you let her treat like that?"

"I don't want to get fired."

"What would be so wrong with showing a little anger. You're not as innocent as people think you are."

"What are you talking about?"

"People think you're so good. But I know the truth. I know there's a demon inside you that's dying to be let out. Why don't you surprise them and take matters into your own hands, instead of having them push you around. _Introduce a little anarchy. Upset the established order, and everything becomes chaos._"

Something began to come over Lyla. She suddenly felt like punching someone in the face, and she didn't care who. A sense of frustration and anger filled her heart. The Joker had gained control of her emotions. As her mind began to spin, Deborah approached her desk once again.

"One more thing, Lyla…" she began.

"Geez, Deborah, can't you give it a rest!" yelled Lyla, slamming the phone on her desk. She remained seated to keep from making a scene. "Look, I've put up with you for quite some time. I'm one of the hardest working people here, and you don't seem to realize that! So for once, just leave me alone! Maybe that way, I can get some work done here!"

Deborah stood frozen to the floor. Lyla soon did the same after realizing what she had done. Surprisingly, Deborah left without saying word, and sat down in her office. As soon as she was out of site, Lyla picked up her phone. "Are you happy?" she asked the Joker. "You almost cost me my job!"

"I wanted to see what you'd do!" he replied. "And you didn't disappoint. You've finally let your anger take control."

"What?"

"You see, we're not so different; you and me. I can see right through you. I can see that spark of evil you hide inside. And I'm the one who's gonna bring it out!"

"Please, just tell me what you want with me?"

"I want _you_. That's all I want."

As the Joker began to laugh, Lyla quickly hung up her phone. Her eyes began to fill with tears as she reviewed his last words. Why was he so infatuated with her? Was it because she had connections with Batman, or did he want something more? When Lyla grabbed a tissue to wipe her eyes with, her phone rang once again. "What else do you want? Leave me alone!" she answered, thinking it was the Joker on the other end.

"Excuse me?" It was Bruce. "Lyla, are you alright?"

"Bruce!" she exclaimed, mortified. "I'm sorry. I thought it was someone else."

"It's ok. I'm just calling to see if you have plans for tonight."

"No, I'm free. Did you want to do something?"

"Meet me at my place. 8 o'clock."

"Ok, see you there."

After Lyla hung up her phone, she had realized she had done something terrible. She had just put Bruce in terrible danger. The Joker was watching her every move. If he saw her with Bruce, he surely would punish the both of them for her unfaithfulness to the Joker. On the other hand, she had to tell Bruce what was going on. He had connections with Commissioner Gordon, which could help her with her dreadful situation. Hopefully, Bruce could be her savior.


	11. Chapter 11

As soon as she entered her apartment, Lyla rushed to the refrigerator and pulled out a bottle of wine. Her hands were still shaking as she poured some of the bottle's contents into a glass. Heading towards the living room, she stopped and gazed at the reflection that was staring at her from the window. Small bags had formed under her eyes from the lack of sleep, her hair was a curly mess, and her skin was as pale of a ghost. 'What have I become?' she asked herself.

Lyla knew who was responsible for her current state of being; the Joker. He had taken the light from her eyes and replaced it with darkness. The hopes she had for an optimistic and truthful life were now gone. Instead, thoughts of death and destruction filled her head. Was this what the Joker wanted? To corrupt Lyla's mind and make her as insane as him? If that was the case, the Joker was so far getting his wish. Just the thought of her stalker drove her crazy. For one thing, she couldn't stand to think of all the devilish things he had planned for her and Gotham. Also, she hated that, every time the Joker was with her, she couldn't take her eyes off his. They were like magnets; one look and she was hooked. Lyla didn't know if it was terror that made this happen, or if it was something greater. But why would it be? The Joker was the epitome of evil. He stood for everything she was against; however, no matter how hard she tried, Lyla was entranced by his every move. Something was so intoxicating about him. The Joker had made Lyla see and feel things like never before.

Breaking from her reflection, Lyla dropped on the couch and began to sip her wine. This was her reward for finally standing up to Deborah, and for making it through the day alive. The sweet liquid passed her lips; sending a shiver of joy down her back. Before Lyla could finish her glass, Jessica walked in. "Lyla! You home?" Jessica walked into the living room, to see Lyla in a daze. "Lyla, what's the matter?"

"Where were you last night?" Lyla asked her roommate with a hint of anger in her voice.

"I'm sorry. Things with Mark ended up lasting a little longer than I thought."

"So, you're dinner plans turned into a sleep over?" Lyla said in a harsh tone.

"Geez, Lyla! I've never seen you like this! What happened?"

"What happened? While you were out having a good time with Mark, I was being held hostage in my own apartment!"

"You mean…"

"Yeah! He was here! I was about to walk out the door, when he came in, tied me up, and knocked me to the floor! And where were you? Where was anybody when I needed them? I could have been killed!" Lyla turned her back to Jessica and walked towards the wall. She suddenly burst into tears. Jessica rushed to comfort her friend. "I'm so sorry, Jessica. I don't know what's gotten into me!"

"It's ok," said Jessica as she embraced Lyla. "I should have been here, too." The two sat down on the coach together in order for Lyla to regain some control.

"What am I going to do?" she asked. "He's always there; watching me! I can't escape him. Last night, he told me that I was his and no one else's. I can still feel him clutching my throat!"

"Have you told Bruce, yet?"

"No, not yet. I haven't even told him how Batman kissed me! I'm going out with him tonight. I was planning on telling him then. But what if I put Bruce in danger?"

"He's a strong man. I'm sure he'll be alright."

Later that night, Lyla was ready to leave for Bruce's apartment. Dressed in black, she took the back exit to avoid an obvious escape. Successfully, Lyla made it safely to Wayne Tower in the pouring rain. She took the elevator to his penthouse, where Alfred was waiting for her. "Good evening, Miss Lyla!" he greeted.

"Good evening, Alfred. Where's Bruce?"

"Master Wayne is getting himself ready. He'll be out shortly. Would you like anything while you wait?"

"No, thank you."

"Alright, but don't hesitate to ask if you do need anything."

Alfred disappeared into the kitchen. While she awaited Bruce's arrival, Lyla looked around his apartment. His bed was made so neatly, his furniture was spotless, and there didn't seem to be a single thing out of place. As she reached the couch, she noticed something very odd; on the coffee table in front of it was hundreds of newspaper and magazine clippings about the Batman. Before she could pick one up, she heard footsteps behind her.

"My God!" said Bruce, just a few feet away. "You look stunning!" Lyla turned around to see Bruce holding two glass of champagne. She gladly took her share and smiled at her love. "I have a delicious meal being prepared for us. You'll absolutely love it!" Bruce began to make his way to the kitchen, when Lyla grabbed him by the arm.

"Bruce, before we do anything, I have to tell you something."

"What is it, Lyla?"

Lyla choked on her words. "Well… it's just… I… we… we can't see each other anymore!"

Bruce's eyes filled with sadness and confusion. "What? Why?"

"Oh, Bruce," she exclaimed, grabbing his waist. "I love you with all my heart, and I wish I could tell you, but…" Suddenly, Lyla's palm rubbed against something on the side of Bruce's waist. It felt like a scar. Flashbacks began to fill her mind. She remembered how the Joker had cut Batman in the exact same place. Lyla then looked into Bruce's eyes. They were the same ones she had seen under the mask. Eyes wide, Lyla backed away and covered her mouth with her hands.

"Lyla, what's wrong?" Bruce said in a serious tone." Lyla said nothing, but looked at him in shock. "Lyla!"

"How did I not know?" she said softly.

"What do you mean?"

"I know where that scar came from! I know where I had seen those eyes before! _You're…you're Batman!_"

Shocked, Bruce stepped back and turned from Lyla. As he made his way to the window, he wondered how Lyla was able to find out his other identity. Lyla was soon close behind him. "Bruce, please don't be angry with me. I came here; thinking I had to end our relationship to protect you. But now I know that you're the only one who can protect _me_!" Bruce faced Lyla and gave her the most loving smile. "Please, Bruce," she pleaded as tears rolled down her cheeks. "He's everywhere! He won't let me go!"

"Lyla, who are you talking about?" asked Bruce, gently placing his hands on Lyla's shoulder's in order to calm her nerves.

"The Joker! I don't know why, but he won't let me be! He's called me at work, left me playing cards, and he almost kidnapped me the other night! He's forbidden me from seeing anyone else; even you! At my apartment this morning, he told me he loved me! I don't know what to do. Bruce you have to help me!"

The two fervently embraced; their lips locking to create an even more passionate than when they kissed on the fire escape. As they pulled away, Lyla knew that this was the man she was meant to be with.

"Lyla, I promise you, as Bruce and as Batman, I will never let anyone take you away from me. And I'm going to make sure of that now." With those words, Bruce bent down on one knee and pulled a ring box out of his jacket pocket. "Lyla Palmer, will you marry me?" He opened the box to reveal a priceless diamond ring. Lyla eyes filled with tears of joy.

"Yes!" she said immediately. "Yes, Bruce! I do!"

Bruce and Lyla once again embraced. With this ring, Bruce would make sure he was always there to protect Lyla and keep her out of harm's way. With this ring, Lyla was ensured a protector.

Commissioner Gordon returned early from work. There was a surprisingly low rate of crime that night in Gotham. After working two back-to-back graveyard shifts at the precinct, the other cops ordered him to go home and see his family. When he walked through the doorway, his wife greeted him with a hug and a kiss. "Glad to see you could finally join us for dinner tonight!"

His son was the next to approach him. He ran up and threw his arms around his father. "Hey, buddy!" exclaimed the Commissioner. "How was school?"

"It was ok," said the boy. His eyes suddenly grew ten times their size as the Commissioner's son had an epiphany. "Oh! I almost forgot!" He ran away to his room and returned with his hands behind his back. "Look what I found in my book bag at school today!" He brought his hands forward, revealing a small playing card. The Commissioner stared in horror as he turned the card over; revealing a Joker on the other side.


	12. Chapter 12

After his cousin, Salvatore Maroni, was killed in a fatal car crash, Paolo Maroni had taken over the mob scene in Gotham City. The young gangster was new to the big leagues, but he was clever and ruthless. He was the one who organized every robbery and drug exchange. Also, he had the last word on every assembly of city's criminals. But tonight, he had received an invitation to a meeting that he had no hand in planning.

Paolo arrived at a warehouse beside the river. When he entered, he was greeted by the main crime leaders of Gotham. They addressed him out of respect and fear. He hadn't the reputation of Salvatore, but they all knew he had more power than anyone else in the room. As he sat in a chair near the center of the room, the lights slowly dimed. "What's going on?" yelled one of the mob members. Before anyone could pull out their guns, a sinister laughter filled the room and the Joker appeared before all of them. Paolo was no longer the most powerful one present.

"Glad you all could make it!" the Joker exclaimed.

"What the hell do you want, clown boy?" said Paolo.

The Joker seated himself at the head of the room. "I just wanted to talk. You see, I'm planning a little party, and I wanted you all to be a part of it."

"A party?" asked another crime lord. "Where?"

"All of Gotham City will be our dance floor! This is your chance to have a night filled with whatever your evil hearts' desire! Rob a few banks, kill a few pedestrians, go nuts!"

"You're insane. How do you expect us to do something like that without the police interfering?"

"Leave that to me. Trust me. Did I let you down the last time?"

The room fell silent. Every single one of the mob members remembered how it was the Joker alone who was able to bring chaos to Gotham after they were thrown in jail by the Batman and Harvey Dent. They knew he could pull it off.

"What's your plan?" someone asked.

"Don't worry about it. Just now that a week from tomorrow, you all are working overtime."

"What are you getting out of this?"

The Joker laughed at the question. "All I want is half of everything you steal."

"You think you can sit back while we do all the dirty work, and still reap the benefits?" asked Paolo.

"Yeah."

"You're crazy."

Standing up, he rushed forward to Paolo, grabbed his knife and brought it to his throat. "You wanna change your mind now?"

"Fine! We'll do it!" yelled Paolo, trembling.

The Joker released Paolo and headed towards his original spot. "You mob people are all the same; tough guys when things are going your way, but cowards when facing death. Why don't you learn to grow a spine!" Laughing, the Joker headed towards the exit, but stopped and turned back to the mob. "Oh, I almost forgot!" He walked to the center of the room and removed a photograph from his coat pocket. The photograph revealed a picture of Lyla Palmer. "I'll pay a handsome fee to the person who can deliver her to me."

Some mob members walked towards the photo to get a closer look; all with confused looks on their faces. What could the Joker want with her? Suddenly, an older mob member stepped forward from the back of the room and picked up the picture. "I'll take care of this," he said. The Joker smiled and walked into the darkness. Confused, the mob members looked around and began whispering to each other.

"So, what do we do, boss?" asked one of them.

Paolo looked him in the eye. "I guess we can have a little bit of fun!"

Bruce looked over Lyla's sleeping body. They both agreed that she should spend the night I order to keep her safe. To Bruce, she looked so beautiful as she slept. Suddenly, the windows in the bedroom filled with light. Outside, the Bat-Signal shone in the sky. He hated to leave Lyla all alone, but Bruce knew that he had to fulfill his duties as Gotham's hero.

When he reached the roof of the Gotham Police Station, Commissioner Gordon was waiting for him. "What's going on?" asked Batman.

"We got a hit that the mob was having a secret meeting."

"Organized by Maroni?"

"No, not this time. We're not quite sure who arranged it, but we have a hunch."

"Just tell me where, and I'm on it."

Gordon gave Batman the directions. During this process, Batman noticed a strange uneasiness in Gordon's character. His eyes were filled with fear and his hands were trembling. "What else is going on?" asked Batman.

Gordon looked up at Batman. "Nothing's wrong! Why?"

"No reason." Without getting a true answer out of the Commissioner Gordon, Batman leapt off the roof, landed near his Bat-Pod, and headed for the location of the mob meeting. On his arrival, he snuck to the roof of a neighboring building and observed the crime lords leaving in their limousines. The last one out the door was Paolo Maroni. Before he could reach his car, Batman came out from the shadows of the night sky and tackled the mob leader. Paolo was knocked to the floor, then picked up by the shirt collar by the Batman.

"You wanna tell me what you were doing here?" Batman harshly asked.

"I ain't telling you nothing!"

Paolo's reply infuriated Batman. He balled up his fist and punched the gangster in the mouth. "Who organized the meeting?"

"What meeting?" said Paolo, spitting out blood.

"YOU KNOW WHAT MEETING! WHO ORGANIZED IT?"

"Ok, I'll tell you. It was that clown freak!"

The Batman froze, then gave Paolo the most threatening look. "Where is he?"

"I don't know anything about him. Does he look like the kinda guy who I would hang out with him?"

Batman punched Paolo again. "WHERE IS HE!"

"I'm right behind you." The Joker's voice filled the Dark Knight's ears. Turning around, he saw the Clown Prince of Crime with a smile and a gun pointing in his direction. "You're a little late for the meeting." The Joker then fired a few rounds near the Batman's feet. Without hesitation, Batman leaped towards his target; however, the Joker quickly dodged him, still firing his gun. One bullet barely missed Batman's shoulder. As Batman regained his balance, he turned towards his enemy and stared.

"What are you after this time, Joker?" the Batman asked.

"Why can't anyone I meet start a conversation with 'Hi!' or "How ya doing?' instead of a question or screaming at me?" The Joker fired another round of bullets, which Batman missed easily. Slowly, the Joker approached his foe. "But if you really must know, all I want is a night on the town!"

"What are you talking about?"

"I want a night of fun without those pesky policemen chasing me."

"They wouldn't be chasing you if you weren't a wanted man."

"Well I'm glad someone finally wants me!" The Joker laughed as he quickly reached into his pocket and pulled out a knife. As he swung the knife at him, the Batman fell to the ground. Laughing, the Joker walked up beside Batman and fiercely kicked his side repeatedly. Once his enemy had grown weak, he knelt down beside the Batman. "We really need to stop fighting. It seems like we're destined to do this forever. Now, I have to run. But it was nice seeing you again." Batman tried to pick himself up, but the Joker punched him in the stomach before he could fully recover.

"Oh, one more thing…" said the Joker as he came closer to the Batman's masked face. "Stay away from Lyla, or she dies." With that, the Joker took off running. The Batman got up, but it was too late. The Joker had escaped into the darkness. It was no use getting completely up. He needed to regain all of his strength. As he sat on the ground, he thought about the Joker's last words to him. Why was the Joker so attracted to Lyla? All he knew was that there was no way that he just wanted her to find out his true identity due to the fact that he wanted Lyla to himself. He also knew that she was in more trouble than he could ever imagine.


	13. Chapter 13

When Lyla woke the next day, she found herself in Bruce's bed. The sun was shining high over Gotham, indicating that she had slept the whole morning. Bruce had let her borrow one of his t-shirts to sleep in. She adored how it smelled just like him. Wrestling with the covers, Lyla expected to find her lover lying beside her. Unfortunately, he was nowhere to be found. She slowly sat up from the bed and walked into the living room; finding Bruce solemnly sitting, unmasked, in his Bat-Suit.

"Hello, stranger," said Lyla as she wrapped her arms around Bruce from behind. He didn't reply, but turned towards Lyla, smiled, and gently kissed her lips. While they stared into each other's eyes, Lyla noticed something she had never seen in him; fear. "What's the matter?" she asked.

"Nothing," Bruce quickly replied. There was no way he could bring himself to tell her what the Joker had said to her the night before. He was still unsure of his intentions with her.

"Long night?" Lyla asked.

"Yeah. Long night."

"What happened?" Bruce said nothing. "Was it _him_?"His silence confirmed the answer. "Are you hurt?"

"My side is killing me, but other than that I'm fine." Another moment of silence filled the room. Lyla slowly walked in front of Bruce, knelt down beside him, and placed her hands on his knee.

"Bruce, please. If we're going to do this, you have to be honest with me. We can't have a relationship built on secrets." She was right. Ever since they started seeing each other, Bruce had wanted to tell Lyla that he was the one who had saved her from the muggers. Now that his secret was out, he had no reason to keep anything from her. So, Bruce told Lyla about his encounter with the Joker. After his story, Lyla confessed about how the Joker holding her hostage in her apartment, and how he had cruelly professed her love to her. "What if doesn't want me to get to you?" she asked. "What could he possibly want with me?" Bruce said nothing. He calmly stood up and brought his love into his embrace.

"So are we agreed that you'll stay here until this is all over?" Bruce asked.

"Yes, I just need to get a few things from my apartment. I'll be back soon."

"Do you need me to come with you?"

"I think I will be fine."

Lyla kissed Bruce on the cheek and left to put her clothes back on in the bedroom. As the door closed behind her, Bruce sat back down in his chair and stared at his mask. He thought back to two years ago; when he had desperately sought to have a relationship with Rachel Dawes, and how his mistake of showing his emotions towards her ultimately lead to her death. Was he ready to risk the life of the woman he loved again? Even though his head rung with guilt, his heart was telling him that it was different this time. He had felt more love towards Lyla than anyone. This time, he would make sure no one would get in the way of him and Lyla; not even the Joker.

Lyla arrived at her apartment a little after 1. Jessica was seated in the kitchen, finishing up a sandwich when she walked in. "Well, well, well! Where have you been?" teased Jessica. She quickly stood up and hugged her roommate. "What happened to you last night? And why are you wearing the same dress you wore last night? Hmmm?"

"Nothing happened!" laughed Lyla. She rushed to her room to avoid further questioning. After hoping in the shower and straightening her hair, Lyla put on a simple white tank top and a pair of jeans and began to pack a bag of her belongings to take to Bruce. Suddenly, Lyla's cell phone began to ring. "Lyla Palmer," she answered.

"Lyla, this is Mr. Turner."

"Mr. Turner! What can I do for you?"

"Listen, Lyla. I know it's you're day off, but I need you to come into work for awhile. We need to talk about your latest article."

"Um, sure. I'll be there soon." Hanging up the phone, Lyla quickly threw on a nice black jacket and grabbed her purse. "Jessica!" she yelled as she headed towards the door. "I have to go into work. I'll be back in a little."

"Ok, see ya when you get back!"

Lyla arrived at work 30 minutes later. Once the doors opened on her desired floor, she walked in to see the room was empty and pitch black. The only light that could be seen was coming from Mr. Turner's office. Lyla opened the door and saw Mr. Turner and Deborah Cross standing at his desk. Also in the room were two rough-looking men wearing suits.

"Ah, Lyla!" exclaimed Mr. Turner. "I'm so glad you could make it!" With a nod of Mr. Turner's head, the two men approached Lyla and grabbed her by the arms, while Deborah pulled a gun out of her back pocket.

"Mr. Tuner! What are you doing?" Lyla cried.

"Getting my money's worth!" he replied coldly. "You see, dear, the Joker has a hefty ransom out for you, and I told him I would take care of you myself."

Lyla stood shocked. Mr. Turner had been a mentor to her ever since she started working at the Gotham Times. The people she had once trusted were stabbing her in the back. "Please, don't do this!" she pleaded, as she tried to break free.

"I'm so sorry it had to be this way, Lyla," he said as she approached her and gently stroked her cheek. "I'd hate to lose such a good journalist. I'm also sorry I can't deliver you myself. There's some personal business that need to be taken care of here, but Deborah will gladly take you to the Joker for me." Deborah then walked up to Lyla and pointed the gun to her head. As tears began to stream down her face, Lyla looked with puppy dog eyes into Deborah's. Then, Deborah smiled mischievously smiled and winked at her captive. Without further warning, she balled up her fist and punched both of the men holding Lyla's arms in the face.

"Run, Lyla!" she demanded. Lyla took her advice and sped towards the stairs.

"Deborah! What do you think you're doing?" yelled Mr. Turner. Then, with great agility, Deborah gracefully spun around and shot Mr. Turner in the shoulder. Once he was on the ground, Deborah took off running after Lyla. They rushed down the staircase and exited into the Gotham City heat.

"This way!" shouted Deborah, pointing at a black BMW parked on the side of the street. The two women entered the car and took a moment to catch their breaths. "Are you ok?" Deborah asked as she started the car. Lyla paused before saying anything.

"What just happened?" she asked, breathing heavily.

"I'm so sorry about this, Lyla. I'm a good friend of Commissioner Gordon and I've been helping him watch over the crime in Gotham for a few years, now. We got a hit awhile back about Gary Turner's involvement in the mob. I built his trust, and I also kept a close eye on you to protect you. When he came up to me and asked in my assistance in your capture, I knew this was my chance to finally bring him down. Now, we have to get you to safety at the police station."

"No! They can't do anything for me now. Just take me to Bruce. His apartment is the safest place in the city."

"I can do that."

"Can you stop by my apartment so I can get a few things?"

"How long will it take?"

"Not long at all."

"Ok."

Deborah took off in a flash, reaching Lyla's apartment building in no time. Before Lyla could get out of the car, Deborah quickly caught her attention. "Oh, before I forget…" She then reached into her pants pocket and pulled out a business card. "This is Commissioner Gordon's personal phone number. Just in case you need it." Lyla thanked her and hurried into the building.

Opening the door to her apartment, Lyla sensed a strange, uneasy, presence. The TV was on in the living room with the volume muted, but no one was there watching it. "Jessica!" Lyla called, hoping to get a response. The unnerving silence remained. "Jessica, are you there?" Nothing. Lyla rushed into her roommate's bedroom, only to see a truly horrifying sight. She screamed in terror as she saw Jessica lying in her bed; dead.

Shocked, Lyla approached Jessica's lifeless body. On her face, someone had made a deep cut into each of her cheeks that stretch from the edges of her lips to the ears. The scars resembled the Joker. Lyla knelt down beside the blood-stained bed and wept. This was his doing. The Joker had gone too far. He wanted her, not Jessica. Why didn't the Joker just kill her instead?"

Lyla then knew what she must do. With tears running down her face, Lyla raced to the living, grabbed the phone, and pulled Commissioner Gordon's number out of her pocket. She would report Jessica's murder, and then call Bruce to warn him about the Joker's latest crime. After dialing the number, Lyla sighed with relief when she heard the phone ring.

"This is Jim Gordon," he answered.

"Commissioner! Oh, thank God! This is Lyla Palmer." Lyla exclaimed, still crying.

"Lyla, what's wrong?"

"I…I…"

Suddenly, an arm was wrapped around Lyla's waist and a hand was covered over her mouth. Completely taken aback, Lyla dropped the phone and struggled to break free; her muffled screams filling the apartment. She made an effort to see who was holding her, but failed. Then, from the doorway, came the Joker. In his hand was a small revolver. Seeing his scared face made Lyla double her efforts for freedom. He slowly walked up to Lyla and noticed the phone lying on the ground in front of her.

"Lyla, are you there?" the Commissioner called from the other line. "Lyla, what's going on? Please, talk to me!"

With a grin on his face, the Joker bent down and picked up the phone. "Evening, Commissioner!" he answered. The Joker began to laugh hysterically as he threw the phone against the wall; shattering it into several pieces. When he had finished laughing, the Joker approached Lyla, ran his gloved fingers through her hair, and looked her dead in the eye.

"It's time to dance with the devil."

With those words, the Joker struck Lyla fiercely across her head with the butt of his gun; sending Lyla into darkness.


	14. Chapter 14

Lyla never came back. Bruce waited hours for her return, but she didn't come home. He waited for her to call, but the phone never rang. As Bruce sat impatiently in his apartment, he could only assume the worst. This was unlike her. Lyla would have contacted him if her plans had changed or if she was in danger. Where was she?

Suddenly, the police radio in Bruce's room began to announce a murder that had taken place at an address that sounded very familiar to him. Then, the Bat-Signal lit up the evening's red sky. Why now? Why must he leave when he so anxiously awaited Lyla's arrival? He unwillingly rushed to the location of his Bat-Suit. When he was dressed, Bruce sought out Alfred before he left. "Alfred!" he called.

"Yes, Master Wayne," answered Alfred from the kitchen.

"I need you to stay by the phone at all times while I'm gone. Just in case she calls."

"I will, Master Wayne." With that, Bruce left to answer Gotham's cry for help.

When he arrived at the scene of the crime, he found Commissioner Gordon was swallowed by a sea of officers and police tape. "What's going on?" asked Batman as he approached the Commissioner. At first, he said nothing. Then, he turned to the Batman and looked at him with sorrowful eyes.

"I got a distress call on my cell from that young woman you saved and Bruce Wayne's masquerade; Lyla Palmer. She was in hysterics on the phone. When I tried to ask her what was going on, the Joke was suddenly on the end."

Batman froze when he heard his story. How could he let this happen? "Where is she?"

"We don't know. They were both gone once we got here." Two men entered the room pulling a stretcher. On the stretcher was a black body bag. "This was all we found." Batman gestured to the body bag, and Gordon motioned for him to take a look. He approached the stretcher and carefully unzipped the bag, revealing a beautiful, young blonde girl with freshly made incisions across her face. She looked like a female version of the Joker. After zipping the body bag up again, the men exited the apartment and Batman returned to Gordon's side. "What does he want this time?" asked Gordon.

"I find myself asking that same question," replied Batman. All he could think about was Lyla. Where was she? Was she in danger? What did the Joker want with her?

"Commissioner!" cried one of the investigators. "You might wanna take a look at this!" Everyone turned towards him as he nodded to the TV, showing a GCN anchor and a banner at the bottom of the screen that read "BREAKING NEWS: POSSIBLE HOSTAGE SITUATION." The room fell silent as the anchor began to speak.

"Good evening everyone, and thank you for joining us. GCN has just received a video, sent by an anonymous author, which shows what might be another threat from the criminal mastermind known as the Joker. Please be warned, this video might be a bit disturbing for some. Viewer discretion is advised."

The next image shown on the TV was one of a young woman tied to a chair, with her hair covering her face. Batman recognized the girl immediately. It was Lyla. Batman began to panic at the sight of her being held captive. No one could tell where she was; her location was surrounded by darkness. Suddenly, the camera began to shake and the Joker's laughter filled the silence. The Joker then turned the camera to himself.

"Good evening, Gotham City! Did ya' miss me? Of course you did! This city has been so dull without my random acts of fun! Now, I'm here to tell you that sometime this week, we're going to be throwing a little party. I'm not going to tell you when though; that would ruin the surprise! But I would suggest you keep your doors locked!" He let out another sinister laugh. "Oh, and by the way…" The Joker approached the unconscious Lyla and stroked her cheek. "This message is for Batman." He looked into the camera with the most serious face. "The night of our "party," if you don't rescue her by midnight, I make her mine!" Once more, the Joker laughed hysterically and the television screen then went black.

The room stayed silent. No one wanted to believe what they had just seen. "Alright!" shouted Commissioner Gordon. "I want a team down at GCN to find out where they got that video. I want finger prints! I want anything you can get! We have to find them! And you…" He turned to face Batman, but he was gone. Looking around, Gordon tried to find the masked vigilante. 'He must have gotten a head start,' thought the Commissioner. Exiting the apartment, his thoughts went back to Lyla; the Joker's latest victim. Did she have any relation with the Batman, or did he just want her for his own sick pleaseures?

Bruce walked into his room at the point of tears. The only thing he could think of was Lyla. He couldn't get the image of her being captured by the Joker out of his mind; how she was engulfed in darkness and how much pain she showed in her body. He had promised this would never happen again. Once again, he had put the one he truly loved in grave danger. He also thought of the Joker's last words in the video shown on GCN.

"_If you don't rescue her by midnight, I make her mine!"_

What did he mean by that? Was the Joker only threatening him with her life, or did he want something more? As his mind raced with thoughts of Lyla and the Joker's latest plans, Bruce slowly entered his room and sat down of the bed. The covers were still sprawled out across the bed from where Lyla had slept only hours before her disappearance. Alfred then joined Bruce as he continued to ponder his love;s whereabouts. "I saw the news," said Alfred.

Bruce didn't bother to look up from the floor, ashamed of what he might say. "Did I bring this upon her, Alfred? Was this all my fault? I tried so hard to prevent this from happening again. I guess Batman can never love."

Alfred sighed and sat down beside Bruce. "I think this might be a different situation, Master Wayne. Different than the tragedy of Miss Dawes."

"How, Alfred? My alter ego has brought misfortune on both of them. How is this any different?"

"Master Wayne, if you didn't love Miss Lyla, you would have never asked for her hand in marriage. And she loves you, or else she would have never accepted; knowing the consequences of being the wife of the Caped Crusader. Rachel didn't take that chance."

Bruce stared at Alfred, shocked that he would say such a hurtful thing about Rachel. But he knew he was right. Rachel wouldn't take such a risk like Lyla did. Over time, Bruce had come to realize that his past love was never going to wait for him. He had turned his world upside down to save Gotham and Rachel from harm. After all he had done for her, Rachel somehow managed to fall for someone else; Harvey Dent. They both tried to keep her safe, but failed in the process. Rachel's death took a heavy, emotional effect on Bruce. It drove Harvey to madness and, eventually, his demise.

"Also," said Alfred, interrupting Bruce's train of thought. "You said Batman could never love. He can! Batman can love because you can love. But don't you think a mad man, like the Joker, can have the same feelings towards someone?"

Bruce remained silent. The only things he believed the Joker could ever care about were death and destruction. He then thought back to what the Joker had said to him after the mob meeting and in the video, every threat he had made using Lyla as his pawn. This had nothing to do with Batman. It was all about Lyla! Could it be possible that Batman and the Joker were in love with the same woman?

A knock on the front door broke the silence. Alfred, reluctant to leave his employer's side, rose from the bed and answered the door. No one was there; only a small, black envelope lied in front of him. On its face read "Deliver to Bruce Wayne" in red ink. With a curious look on his face, Alfred reentered the bedroom and handed Bruce the envelope. "I believe this is for you," he said. Bruce took the envelope, opened it, and then stared appallingly at its contents.

Inside was Lyla's engagement ring


	15. Chapter 15

The Joker sat in the center of the warehouse, staring intently at a television screen. He was keeping a close eye on his captive. At the time, she was still unconscious. "I must have hit her harder on the head than I thought," he thought to himself. Lyla lied on a small cot that was placed in the corner of a small, dark room surrounded by concrete walls. He hated to keep her like this, but he knew that without this imprisonment, she would go running back to her Bat-lover.

All of a sudden, the Joker saw Lyla's body move from the TV screen. He watched as she sat herself up from the cot. He smiled as she looked around her cell in horror. He laughed as she began to scream for help. Lyla's pain was his pleasure. The Joker then turned his head to his henchmen standing in the door way of the room. "Bring her here," he commanded.

The henchmen left, and the Joker's attention was brought back to the screen. After a few minutes, the door to Lyla's cell swung open, and the two masked men entered. Lyla panicked and sought protection in the corner of the room; however, the men grabbed one arm each and dragged her away. The Joke stood from his chair as he heard them coming down the hall.

Lyla was thrown to the Joker's feet. She brought herself to her knees without lifting her gaze; afraid to look at her captor. Her head still throbbed from she had been struck with the butt of his gun. The room was spinning as she sat on her heels. Her forehead was stained with blood and her mascara had accompanied her tears down the side of her cheeks. The Joker simply looked down at Lyla and smiled.

"Welcome home, baby," he said.

"Where am I?" asked Lyla, still afraid to look up.

"That's not important. All that matters is that you're here. I'm just sorry your friend couldn't make it."

Suddenly, Lyla began to remember the scene at her apartment and how the Joker had murdered her best friend. She began to cry profusely out of mourning. The image of Jessica's bloody body lying across the bed vividly ran through her memory. Lyla's whole body then filled with rage. The sadness that had taken over her just seconds ago had turned into anger and hatred. She wanted to make the Joker pay for what he had done. Standing up, Lyla gathered what strength she had and shoved the Joker to the ground. His henchmen quickly raced to Lyla and reattached themselves to her arms.

"No, let her go!" yelled the Joker. They both did as they were instructed. Lyla no stood on her own two feet and stared at the Joker with fury in her eyes. "Come on," called the Joker. "Hit me!"

Lyla did as she was told and punched the Joker in the stomach, and then on the jaw. He doubled over and laughed at her attempts to cause him pain. She was still very weak from her concussion. The Joker stood up and, as Lyla swung for another hit, grabbed her wrist tightly. "My turn!" he exclaimed. Lyla screamed as the Joker flung her into the wall. Lyla sunk to the floor in pain. Before she could take another breath, her captor climbed on top of her and pinned her arms to the ground.

"See," he said. "I knew you had it in ya'!"

"Please, let me go!" pleaded Lyla, struggling hard to break free of the Joker's grasp.

"Here's a little lesson for you. This anger that has been building up inside of you is finally coming out. That anger soon turns to insanity. Trust me, I know. And now, you're slowly being dragged down to my level."

"You see, madness is like gravity; all it takes is a little push. Your friend was that push."

"Get off of me!"

"Aw, Lyla, what's the matter? Didn't you like that? Didn't you enjoy getting revenge? Getting back at me for killing Jessica? I thought you might enjoy that little taste of madness; that small act of evil."

Lyla stopped her struggling. As much as she hated to admit it, she did like it. She enjoyed hurting him, but she wouldn't necessarily call it an act of "evil." More like an act of vengeance. The Joker then joyously hopped up, grabbed Lyla's arm, and brought her to her feet. She almost fell back down from her dizzy head, but the Joker quickly took care of her and lifted her up again. Linking their arms together, he walked her to his chair and gently sat her down. "Why are you doing this?" asked Lyla, still furious.

The Joker turned his back to Lyla before he spoke. "There's something about you, Lyla. On the outside, you look so sweet and innocent. But I know the truth. No one, not even you, is innocent. I know your darkest desires. I know you're just dying to break out of your shell. You can't do that with Bat-Boy." He then turned his head to Lyla and flashed a mischievous smile. "But you _can_ with me. I'm the man you really need."

Lyla sat with her head down; confused about his last statement. "Just tell me what you want with me."

"I want you. That's all I want."

As the Joker spoke, Lyla once again became fixed in the criminal's eyes. Something about those eyes, that voice, was extremely frightening, and yet so intoxicating. Her anger soon turned into fear and confusion. Lyla was terrified of the Joker, but at times she felt as if she were letting him take control of her.

While Lyla sat quietly with apprehensive eyes, the Joker noticed how seemed to be giving in. He had her.

********************************

Bruce had spent the whole day in Batman's liar. His eyes had been glued to a computer screen for hours; trying to find anything he could about the Joker or anyone who might have information on the deranged psychopath. After all his efforts, the only lead he has was the mob. He found nothing in his research, but remembered the night before Lyla's kidnapping; how they all had gathered to hear what the Joker had to say. But what had he told them?

Around Bruce's neck was Lyla's engagement ring hanging from a small, silver chain. Every so often, he would bring his hand to his heavy heart, grasping the ring simultaneously, and thought of her. Her sweet voice rang in his ears. Pictures of her and her curly brown hair filled his head every time he closed his eyes. Bruce couldn't stand the thought of his love in the clutches of such a madman. Although he was terrified for her safety, he was relieved by the fact that Lyla was still alive. The Joker wouldn't kill her until the night he would fulfill his promise. It was up to him to make sure that Batman saved her before midnight of that night.

After hours of being copped up in his hideout, Bruce decided to step outside. Sounds of sirens and car horns quickly surrounded him. The cool, Gotham air filled his lungs. He closed his eyes, folded his arms, and thought of Lyla. "I will save you," he said to himself. When Bruce opened his eyes, he saw the Bat-Signal shining high in the sky. He rushed back inside, dressed in his Bat-Suit, and left on his Bat-Pod to save his city and his love.

**************************************

Lyla was sent back to her cell for the night. Her bed was cold and darkness immediately consumed her. The only light came from the moon shining through a small, barred window located close to the ceiling. Her eyes were blood-shot and her once straight hair was now a curly mess. As she tried hard to swallow, the taste of blood filled her mouth. Lyla felt as if she were slowly fading away.

Suddenly, the light in her room greatly increased. To see what was going on, Lyla stood tip-toe on her bed and peeked out the window. Outside, the Bat-Signal casted shadows upon the Gotham skyline. Tears returned to her eyes as she thought of Bruce. She looked down at her hand to admire her ring. To her dismay, the ring was gone. The Joker had stolen it while she was unconscious. He had taken the only thing she had left of Bruce besides her memory of him.

Lyla curled up in her bed. She fell asleep as she began to accept her current fate; a prisoner of the Joker.


	16. Chapter 16

Paolo Marroni sat in his penthouse accompanied by three of his body guards. Sitting in his lounge chair, he poured himself a glass of scotch and picked up a piece of paper that was lying on the coffee table next to him. The letter had arrived for him earlier that afternoon. The paper looked as if it had been found in the dumpster and its cut-out lettering made it look like a ransom note. Marroni immediately figured out the note was from the Joker. He then began to read the letter to himself.

Only 5 days left!

Starting at Midnight, the City is Ours!

Don't Forget Your Supplies.

Guns, Knives, Bombs, Etc.

Anything Your Evil Hearts Desire.

There's Only One Rule…

The Batman is Mine!

Now he finally understood what the Joker was getting at. But how was he going to pull it off without the cops interfering? He turned his head and watched his body guards; their stiff, nervous bodies watching over the door and their hands shook and they held tightly onto their guns. "Would you relax?" he shouted.

"Sorry, boss," replied one of the three men. "It's just… ever since the Batman returned, things haven't been as easy as they had been the last two years."

"Cowards!" exclaimed Marroni, standing up from his chair with his back to his guards. "You've got a better chance of winning the lottery than you do seeing him. Got it?"

Turning around, Marroni was shocked to see that his guards were no longer at their station. He turned around again out of panic, only to find Batman standing in front of him. "You're not winning the lottery tonight," said the vigilante in a raspy voice. Before Marroni could pull out his gun from his inside coat pocket, Batman punched him in the jaw; knocking him to the ground. Batman then knelt down and picked up the mob leader by his collar. "Where is he?" he shouted.

"How should I know? I don't even like clowns."

Batman man struck his face yet again. "I know he's planning something with the mob. What is he planning?"

"I can't tell you."

"Why?"

"Marroni leaned in close towards Batman's ear. "It's a secret."

Marroni stared at the Batman and smiled. As he began to snicker, Batman punched him once more with such a force, Marroni was knocked out cold. Standing up, Batman noticed a letter lying on the table. After reading it, he realized he had found his first clue to finding the Joker.

Lyla sat in her cell pondering about ways to escape from the Joker. She knew it wouldn't be an easy task. Her window was barred, the door was locked, and she was certain the Joker had someone guarding the door at all times. It seemed like there was no way out.

She missed Bruce. She missed the way she felt safe around him. All Lyla wanted to do was get away from the darkness and in his arms. However frightened she might be of the Joker, she could rest a little easier knowing her true love was the masked protector of Gotham City. If anyone could save her, it would be him. "But what if something happens to him?" she thought to herself. "What if he's hurt because of me? What if I'm the cause of Batman's demise?" Lyla's stomach churned as she thought of Bruce in danger. She knew he was a strong and smart man, but the Joker was too great of a threat. The Joker was Batman's most treacherous foe. It seemed their powers canceled each other's out during battle. And now that the Joker was fueled by his mission to keep Lyla away from the hero and any spec of goodness, she knew she had to do something to make sure Bruce was not harmed because of her.

Looking around the room, Lyla tried to find something to pick the lock. The only things she found lying about were dust and broken glass. Suddenly, Lyla had an idea. She knelt down near the pile of broken glass and picked up the largest piece she could find. The tip looked painfully sharp. At the moment, Lyla had three choices. She could stay in her cage and allow the Joker to have his way. She could also take the sharp piece of glass and end her misery right then and there; however, that option would forbid her from seeing Bruce again. Or, she could try to escape.

Lyla chose freedom.

Standing up, Lyla placed the piece of glass in her back pocket and headed for the door. "Hello!" she cried, banging her fist on the door. "I have to use the restroom!" She continued to pound on the door until it finally opened. Lyla stepped back as one of the Joker's thugs entered the room. Without speaking, the man grabbed Lyla's arm and pulled her out of the room. Never once did the man let go of her arm as they walked. His grip was strong and his gaze was fixed on the lit hallway in front of them. Lyla stared nervously at the gun strapped to the thug's back. "This might be harder than I thought," she said to herself.

While the thug wasn't looking, Lyla slowly moved her free hand to her back pocket and pulled out her weapon. Sweat began to roll down her face and her breathe became heavier with every step she took. She didn't want to go through with the plan, but she knew this was her only chance to escape. The man looked over to see Lyla's nervous demeanor. "What's wrong with you?" he asked without a shred of pity in his voice.

Then, with one swift movement, Lyla plunged the piece of glass into the thug's stomach. She didn't know how she found the courage to do so, but the rage she had for the Joker and her desperate need to see Bruce again made the deed less of a challenge for her. The man screamed in pain, released Lyla from his grip, and fell face forward on the ground. Dead.

After only a moment's rest, Lyla began to run. She ran down the rest of the hall, down a flight of stairs, then down yet another hall. At the end of the second hallway was a door with a glowing "EXIT" sign hanging above it. It seemed as if Lyla had finally fooled the Joker. Civilization was just a few steps away. Voices of upcoming pursuers rang in her ears, but that didn't stop her. Lyla made her way towards the door. She could already feel the hot sun on her skin, the sweet smell of the city's air, the warmth of Bruce's embrace.

Lyla was almost at the door, when suddenly every light in the building went out. She stopped dead in her tracks, afraid of what might be hiding in the darkness. The voices that were once calling after her had now grown silent. The exit sign above the door ceased its hopeful. Her heart pounded so hard, it felt to Lyla as if it would burst out of her chest. Maybe freedom wasn't as easy to obtain as she thought.

As Lyla panicked to find her way out again, the sound of the Joker's laugh entered her ears from her left. She turned around in fear, but could see nothing around her. The laughter then came behind. Confused and afraid, Lyla backed up trying to get away from the horrific sound, slammed her back against a cold, stone wall, and sank to the floor. She covered her ears with her hands as the laughter began to come from every direction. It was then Lyla knew that there was no escape from the Joker. "Stop it!" she cried. "Leave me alone!"

Without warning, Lyla felt someone grab her hair and fiercely pull her to her feet. The lights suddenly flickered on, almost blinding her. When her eyes finally adjusted, she saw the Joker's black eyes staring her down. "Leaving so soon?" he wickedly asked. He smiled, grabbed Lyla's waist, and threw her over his shoulder. Lyla kicked and screamed as the Joker carried her back to her cell. While they made their way to her room, the passed the body of the Joker's henchmen that Lyla had killed only minutes ago. His lifeless body was lying in a pool of blood. Lyla gaped in horror at what she had done. Never in her life had she done something so horrid.

"Your first kill! I'm so proud of you!" exclaimed the Joker as he entered the room with Lyla still struggling on his shoulder. He threw his prisoner from him onto her bed. The hard rusted springs bruised Lyla's back as she landed. "Did you really think you could escape me that easily?" he continued. "I told you already that _you are mine_!"

"What are you trying to move?" Lyla asked through her tears.

"What makes you think I'm using you for that?" Lyla didn't reply. "Well, maybe I do want to prove something; that people, even people like you, can fall from grace. We're not so different; you and I."

"I'm nothing like you."

"Oh really? You know, you're not as innocent as you say you are. I mean, I'll bet Mr. Wayne would die to hear about your little affair with the Bat."

Lyla remained silent. She knew he was wrong, but she had to act like he was right in order to protect Bruce from the Joker finding out about his alter ego. "You wouldn't!" she cried, trying to play off Batman and Bruce Wayne as two different people.

"Oh no, I don't think Brucey would be that upset over you kissing the hero. Now what would really be funny would be if he found out about us."

"There is no 'us'!"

"That's what you think. But I see the way you look at me. It's somehow very different from the way you look your beau or the Batman. You show such defenselessness around me; and that's just how I like it." The Joker smiled and turned his back to Lyla, preparing to leave the room.

"Do you think this is some kind of joke?" Lyla yelled after him. The Joker suddenly stopped at her question. He spent a few seconds just standing in place, and then slowly turned his head in Lyla's direction. For some reason, the smile had been wiped from his face and he stared at his prisoner with fury in his eyes. The Joker swiftly rushed from his standing place, grabbed Lyla's neck, and pinned her against the wall. The ice cold wall sent shivers down Lyla's back. Unable to move, she attempted to remove the Joker's gloved hands from her neck as he began to tighten his grip.

"Love is the joke, my dear," he said in a harsh tone. "Here's how the story always goes. Someone ends up falling for someone else, but they don't love that person in return. And there's nothing they can do about it. But, you wanna here the punch line? I can! I'm going to make you love me, even if it kills you."


	17. Chapter 17

It had been two whole days since the Joker had forced Lyla back into her cell. Since then, no one had come to rescue her, no had had brought her anything to eat, and no one had come to check to see if she was still alive. Lyla spent that first day drowning in her tears. She was terrified of the thought of dying by the Joker's hand. _"I'm going to make you love me, even if it kills you,"_ he had told her. At the time, she thought anything would be better than death, but as the day went on, she wasn't so sure.

Her tears didn't return on the second day. By that point, Lyla was ready to accept what might happen to her. She was no longer afraid of the darkness, no longer afraid of death, and, most importantly, no longer afraid of the Joker. "If he was going to kill me, he would have done it by now," she thought to herself. As she sat almost lifeless on her cot, Lyla thought back to the day when the Joker had broke into her apartment; how he had told her he loved her. Was torturing her sanity the Joker's way of showing affection? Whatever is was, this love was taking a deadly toll on her.

As the sun went down on the second day, the orange glow of the evening sky shone through the barred window of Lyla's room. Lyla kept the same position on her cot for hours; her legs hugged against her chest and her head rested upon her knees as she rocked back and forth to the sound of her own breath. She was waiting for something, but wasn't sure exactly what she was anticipating her rescue or her death. Suddenly, the door to her cell creaked open. The dark silhouette of the Joker stood in the doorway. All Lyla could see of him was his shadowy figured as the light barely missed his body. She lifted her head slowly and stared, unafraid of what he might do to her.

"Follow me," he said in a deep voice. Without hesitation, Lyla jumped to her feet and followed the Joker out of the room. Her body was weak from the lack of nourishment. Knees trembling, she matched her steps with her captor's as they walked into another room. Like her cell, the room was cold and barely lit except for a small lamp in one corner. In the center of the room was a table holding a plate of food awaiting Lyla's arrival.

"Sit," the Joker quietly demanded. Lyla did as she was told without touching the plate of food. "Go ahead," he continued. "I know you're hungry." Joyful to settle her appetite, Lyla grabbed a piece of shrimp from the plate, but laid it back down suspiciously.

"What did you do to it?" she asked. The Joker merely laughed and reached for the exact same piece of shrimp. He still kept his face in the shadows.

"Smart girl!" he teased. "But you're wrong." The Joker chewed the piece of food and threw its tail near the plate when he was finished, reassuring Lyla that the food was fit to eat. Relieved, she began to eat. As she ate, the Joker sat down at the opposite end of the table. Again, his face was covered by darkness. Not once did he take his eyes off of her. He couldn't believe how much she had changed over the past couple of days. The color had disappeared from her face. Her eyes had grown darker and tired. Of all of Lyla's new traits, the Joker focused on one in particular; she no longer showed any fear towards him.

When Lyla was done eating, she sank back in her chair and closed her eyes. She didn't know food could taste so good. Then again, anything would have tasted like Heaven after going two days without having a bite to eat. Opening her eyes, Lyla sighed in satisfaction and turned her gaze in the Joker's direction, unable to clearly see his scarred face. He sat in the chair opposite of her own, silently looking down to his balled fist which rested on the table. She wasn't sure if it was a side-effect of her isolation, but Lyla felt as if the Joker himself had changed in some way.

"I'm sorry, Lyla," said the Joker, breaking the dead silence of the room. "For not coming to visit you, I mean."

"You left me in there for two whole days," Lyla said calmly. "No food, nothing to drink. If you really wanted me dead, couldn't you have found a quicker way?"

"I don't want to kill you, Lyla. I just thought it was time for you to lose some of that sanity you're carrying around with you."

"And have I?"

"A little, but you still have a long way to go."

"How so?"

The Joker stood up from his chair and made his way towards Lyla. "Well, it obviously appears that you no longer feel the need to run and scream every time you see me, but you still seem a bit…" He walked behind his prisoner and gently placed his hands around her neck. The cold touch of his finger tips made Lyla shudder.

"…hesitant."

The Joker smiled and softly rubbed his hands across Lyla's shoulders. Gasping for breath, she was taken aback by how gentle he was being with her. It was the Joker's mission to inflict pain, not sooth it.

"I'm trying to teach you a lesson. Do you see now that playing fair and being the good guy doesn't always pay off? You finally figured out that waiting on the Batman to come and save you wasn't working, so you took matters into your own hands. Even though you didn't successfully escape, going against what seems safe and ethical brought you closer to freedom than before. That was step one in transformation. Locking you in your room wasn't punishment; it was just step two. Taking off some of your goodness and replacing it with anger. This way, you're hardly afraid of things that once gave you nightmares. Don't you get it, Lyla? Anarchy is the only to live."

Lyla felt the Joker release his hands from her neck. He moved towards a corner of the room with his back to his captive. With his hands clasped behind his back, the Joker simply stood in place and sighed. Lyla now knew that something had definitely changed about him. His posture and movements weren't the same as before, and his voice sounded less like a demented clown and more like a normal human being. Lyla spoke up out of curiosity.

"Come into the light," she commanded. The Joker remained still. "Please, for me." After a few seconds, he finally turned around and stepped into the lamp's light. What Lyla saw next was even more shocking than when she found out about Bruce's alter ego. Standing before her was a makeup-less Joker. His scars stuck out of his face and his eyes gripped onto hers like never before. The tan color of his skin was a pleasant relief from his always white face. And, to her surprise, the Joker was an attractive man underneath his makeup.

"You know, staring is extremely rude," mocked the Joker.

"I'm sorry, it's just…"

"Just what? Horrified by the sight of a monster? Hmmm? I knew I should have killed you before I ever got started in all of this!"

The Joker headed for the door; an intense fury filled his soul as he walked. Before he could open the door, Lyla spun around and stood up from her chair to catch his attention. "Wait!" she cried, making the Joker halt without hesitation. "That's not what I meant."

"And what exactly did you mean?"

"I was just surprised. I mean, I've never seen you without your makeup on."

"It's horrifying, isn't it?"

"No! It's actually…nice."

The room fell back into silence. The Joker looked at Lyla with a confused look on his face, his mouth hanging half open. Lyla stared back and smiled. Then, the Joker smiled back at her. It wasn't one of his usual menacing grins, but one of compassion and happiness. "You have a beautiful smile," he said to her. The Joker took his hand off of the door knob and slowly approached Lyla.

"Thank you," Lyla said in return. The Joker didn't reply, but looked into her eyes and nearly lost himself. "What?" she asked, baffled by his behavior.

With a tenderness that he had never before shown, the Joker reached out his hand and grasped Lyla's. "Up until now, you've always abided by the regulations of the world, but the only civilized way to live in this world is without rules. And tonight, you're gonna break _all _the rules."

"I'm considering it."

With that, the Joker took his free hand and gently clasped it around the back of Lyla's neck. Not knowing what to do, Lyla tried to break free, but he tightened his grip and brought her face back in his direction. "Lyla, it's alright. Don't be scared." Lyla took his advice and let herself go in his arms. The Joker slowly brought their bodies closer together. Without thinking, Lyla closed her eyes as her lips touched those of Gotham's most wanted criminal. Time passed, and the Joker unwillingly ended the kiss. Lyla remained limp with her eyes closed, blown away by what had just taken place. When her eyes opened, she saw the Joker smiling at her; however, this smile was less kind and more mischievous.

"Transformation complete," he said.

As the two looked into each other's eyes, the door swung open and one the Joker's henchmen stepped inside. "Boss!" he cried. "Everyone's here. We're ready to go!" The Joker didn't turn his head to look back at his employee, but rolled his eyes and gazed back at Lyla.

"They always interrupt me at the worst moments!" he said sarcastically. He then turned towards the henchmen, preparing to leave. "Get the car ready," he said heading towards the door.

"Wait! Where are you going?" shouted Lyla.

"I've just got to run a few errands. You can go back to your room anytime you want to. I'll come visit you when I get back." With one final smile, the Joker left Lyla alone in the room. After taking in the information given to her, Lyla returned to her chair and covered her face with her hands. She recollected over the past few minutes and the passionate moment that had taken place between her and the Joker.

"Oh, God! What have I done?"

******************************

Commissioner Gordon sat at his desk looking over a crinkled piece of paper left on his desk by a mysterious sender. Obviously written by the Joker, the paper warned of an upcoming attack the madman was planning 5 days from the day the letter was written, but who knows when that was. As he leaned back in his chair, he noticed one of his fellow officers also sitting at his own desk. His hands covered his face and he looked as if he was in pain. Gordon slowly got up from his chair and approached the officer.

"What seems to be the matter?" he asked. The officer looked up at his boss. A tear rolled down his cheek as he lifted his head.

"Oh, nothing sir," he sniffed, wiping away the tear. "I'm just tired. That's all."

"I know it's late, but I know better than that. When you've been in this business as long as I have, you learn to read people. Now, what's wrong?"

"Well, I…I…I haven't heard from my fiancée in two days. She told me she was leaving to visit her mother for _one_ day, but she hasn't come back. No phone call, nothing! I'm starting to get worried."

"Why didn't you tell anyone?"

"I was just hoping she would come back soon. She…"

Suddenly, Commissioner Gordon's phone began to ring. "Excuse me for a minute, will you?" he asked. He walked away from the officer's desk and looked down at his phone. The caller ID indicated that it was his wife calling. He quickly opened the phone and placed it against his ear. "Hi Barbra!"

"Jim! Jim, please! You've got to come home!"

"Barbra, what's going on?"

"He's gone, Jim!"

"Calm down, honey. Who's gone?"

"James Jr.! He's gone! I came home and he was gone! The house was a wreck and our little girl was curled up in the corner crying. She said a clown came in and took him! Jim, please hurry!"

Commissioner Gordon took the phone away from his ear, horrified at the thought of his son in danger. Not only had the Joker kidnapped Bruce Wayne's girlfriend, but now he had his little boy. He almost became sick to his stomach by this horrendous act. What did the Joker want with his son? Snapping himself out of shock, he again placed the phone to his ear. "Who took him?" he asked in disbelief, fighting back tears.

Before he could hear his wife's answer, five clowned men ran into the police station firing bullets into the air. Every single officer in the building pulled out their own weapons from their belts and pointed them at the criminals. Commissioner Gordon put down his phone and did the same. "Hold your fire!" he shouted. No more gun shots were heard as the five men took their place in the police station. As they poked their way through the crowd, another man entered the room. It was the Joker.

"Very wise decision, Commissioner."

"Give me one reason I shouldn't change my mind, Joker."

Without saying another word to Commissioner Gordon, the Joker reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a small walkie-talkie. "Put him on," he commanded. The room grew silent as its inhabitants listened intently. The walkie-talkie then beeped and a voice began to shout from the speaker.

"Daddy! Daddy! Please come get me!"

Gordon's eyes grew wide. "That my son! THAT'S MY SON!" The commissioner rushed towards the Joker with his fist ready to strike; however, two officers grabbed him by the arms before he could reach him. The Joker laughed at the sight of his anger.

"Let them hear another one," he said into the walkie-talkie. Again, silence filled the room as they listened. All they could hear was a young woman crying and gasping for breath.

"Come on, say something!" a man commanded from the walkie-talkie.

"Robert, help me!" screamed the woman.

The officer that was once crying at his desk lowered his gun and begun another string of tears. "Alex!" he cried. "What have you done to her, you bastard?"

"I have done nothing to her, sir," said the Joker. "I'm just keeping her, along with a lot of your loved ones, with me for the time being." He then began moving around the room, pointing to various officers. "Your daughter, your wife, your husband, your mother, all of them under my 'tender', 'loving' care."

"What do you want, Joker?" asked Gordon.

"First of all, I'm gonna need everyone to put down their guns. You're making me nervous. And when I get nervous, I might do something drastic, like tell my boys to kill…oh, what's her name? Alex, was it?"

"You wouldn't dare!" yelled Robert.

"Wanna press your luck?" Robert said nothing, but lowered his head and placed his gun on his desk. The other officers in the room followed his example. "I didn't think so. Now, what I really want is for all you fine citizens to take the night off tomorrow."

"You don't expect us all to just sit back and ignore whatever you've got planned, do you?" asked Commissioner Gordon.

"Uh, yeah," replied the Joker. "That is, if you want your boy to survive the night."

Commissioner didn't say anything. He looked around the room at his other officers. Most of them looked anxiously back at him, awaiting his decision. It was no longer just his family in danger, but the loved ones of the entire Gotham City Police Department. He looked back at the Joker and nodded.

"Alright, so here's the deal. Me and my boys are gonna have a night on the town tomorrow. Whatever you do, don't interfere or I blow them all sky high. Agreed?" No one said anything. Some looked down at the floor, praying that their loved ones would be kept safe. Other stared down the Joker with the urge to grab their guns and shoot him down. The Joker smiled and turned to leave. As he was about to walk out the door with his henchmen, he stopped in his tracks and pulled out a piece of paper from his pants pocket.

"Oh, how could I have forgotten? There is one of your men, Commissioner, that I will let attempt to protect your precious city tomorrow night." He walked over to Gordon and slipped the piece of paper into his hand. "Give this to Batsy, will ya?" The Joker giggled as he gazed at the commissioner's confused expression, then turned his back to the officers and left the police station.

After the Joker had left, all of the officers began to break down. Some cried, others reached for their phones to tell their families what had just happened. Robert approached Commissioner Gordon and placed his hand on his shoulder. "What do we do now, chief?" he asked.

"We wait," he replied. "For their sakes."

*************************

The Joker returned to find Lyla asleep in her bed. She lied with her blanket covering half her body and her left hand rested beside her head on her pillow. To the Joker, she had never looked so peaceful. A smile shone across her face, signifying that she was sweetly dreaming instead of having one of her usual nightmares. He slowly sat down beside her and tried his hardest not to wake her up. Nothing pleased him more than watching her sleep. He gently grabbed the blanket and pulled it up to her chest. To his delight, Lyla remained in her deep slumber.

Then, the Joker pulled out a small, black ring from his inside coat pocket. As if her were trying to defuse an extremely sensitive bomb, he clutched her left hand and placed the ring on the finger that once held Lyla's engagement ring that Bruce Wayne had given her. She made a slow movement to one side at the touch of the Joker's fingers, but still lingered in sleep. Before he got up, the Joker kissed her forehead and stroked her cheek. "You're mine now, forever," he whispered.

With that, he left Lyla to continue her dreaming.


	18. Chapter 18

For the past 4 days, Bruce had been tediously working on Lyla's rescue. With hardly anything to go on, he spent his days in the Batcave researching possible hideouts where the Joker might be keeping her. His nights consisted of wandering the Gotham skyline as the Caped Crusader. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't find her or the Joker. For some reason, the Joker was putting all of his efforts into keeping Lyla away from her hero. The madman's intentions were still unclear, but whatever the Joker was planning, Lyla was sure to have a major part in it.

The paper found in Paolo Maroni's penthouse was hardly any help; giving him clues to facts he already knew. Bruce was informed earlier from the Joker's broadcast on GCN about an apprehending attack, or a "party" in the Joker's state of mind, on Gotham City. The letter now gave them the specific date of the assault. But the Joker still gave no indication as to Lyla's whereabouts. "How am I supposed to rescue her my midnight of tomorrow when I don't know where she is?" Bruce asked himself.

Bruce kept thinking back to what Alfred had said to him the day of Lyla's kidnapping. _"Batman can love because you can love,"_ he had said. _"But don't you think a mad man, like the Joker, can have the same feelings towards someone?"_ Surely the Joker wasn't interested in Lyla. He didn't think a man so evil could have those kinds of feelings. And what did he mean when he threatened on the news broadcast to make Lyla _his_ if Batman did not rescue her by midnight? The deadline was tomorrow night, and time was running out quickly. If he was going to rescue Lyla, he had to hurry.

While searching for answers, Alfred never left Bruce's side. He too lost sleep trying to foil the Joker's evil plan. But Alfred didn't mind. It was his job and his duty to assist any member of the Wayne family in their time of need, even the ones who have yet to share their last name.

As the two sat together in the Batcave taking a well-deserved break, a loud siren filled the room; signifying that the Batsignal was shining in the sky outside. "Alfred," cried Bruce, jumping out of his chair. "I need you to keep looking for possible locations while I'm gone. Look for any available or abandoned warehouses, apartments. Try finding a place away from the city or holds a name that would attract the Joker."

"Will do, sir!" Alfred replied. With his response, Bruce suited up and raced out of the hideout on the Batpod. When he reached the Major Crimes Unit building, he found Commissioner Gordon waiting for him beside of the Batsignal. He was solemnly sitting on the ledge with his head in his hands.

"Commissioner?" said the Batman, approaching Gordon. The commissioner slowly lifted his head and took a deep breath through his nose.

"He's attacking the city tomorrow," he said grimly, trying his hardest not to breakdown in front of the vigilante. "And there isn't a damn thing we can do about it. He'll probably have Gotham burnt to the ground way before midnight even roles around!"

"The Joker cannot win. We can still take him down."

"No!" Gordon quickly stood up from his seat, keeping his distance from the Batman. "You can, but _we_ can't."

"What do you mean?"

"If I do anything he'll die!"

The two men fell silent. Batman was shocked at the announcement of yet another loved one in the hands of the Joker. "Who will die?" asked Batman.

"My son! He has my son! Along with half of MCU's family and friends. If we interfere, they all die! He said you're the only one who can put up a fight tomorrow." Gordon then dropped back onto the ledged and began to weep. Batman slowly approached the commissioner, sympathetic to his situation. He had to restrain himself from telling him that the Joker also had his loved one in bondage. After a few minutes of tears, Gordon pulled himself together and stood up beside the Batman. "He told me to give this to you," he said, handing him the folded up piece of paper which the Joker had given to him just hours ago. Batman took the letter, stared at it, then looked back at Gordon.

"We will find them, Gordon," he said.

"I know you will."

********************************

Lyla had slept all night and through half of the next day. Never in her life had she been so grateful for a good night's rest. For the first time in months, there were no nightmares to disrupt her slumber. When she finally awoke, the sun was shining through her window and a warm breeze blew through its bars. Rising from her cot, Lyla rubbed her eyes and looked around the room. She could tell that today was going to be a day of redemption. The day where she would either be rescued or trade her old life for a new one.

As she ran her fingers through her hair, she felt something twisting against her ring finger. She brought her left hand to her eye gaze and saw a black ring inhabiting the spot which used to hold Bruce's diamond engagement ring. Lyla examined it carefully, unimpressed by its plain color and shape. Although she missed Bruce's ring terribly, she was flattered by the Joker's efforts.

Suddenly, the Joker burst through the door holding a small bundle of clothes in his right arm. "Good morning," he said enticingly. He flashed one of his mischievous smiles in her direction and stepped deeper into the room. Lyla wasn't sure what or how to answer him. After last night's events, she was incredibly confused about their relationship. Were they still just "captor" and "captive," or did that kiss make them something more?

"Good morning," she replied shyly. However intimidated she might have been, Lyla found the courage to look the Joker in the eyes. She returned the smile to him and brought herself to her feet.

"Here!" said the Joker, tossing the bundle to Lyla, who caught it flawlessly. "Put these on and meet me out in the 'living room.'" The Joker took one final look at Lyla, licked his scared lips, and then left the room. Lyla, flabbergasted by the lack of conversation, did as she was told and changed clothes. He had brought her a fresh pair of jeans, and a plain black t-shirt that fight Lyla's form perfectly. Before she left, Lyla fiddled with her hair to make sure every strand was where it should be. She wasn't sure if this makeover was for her own benefit or for the Joker's pleasure.

Lyla opened the door, wearing her new wardrobe, and made her way to the center of the warehouse where she was brought before the Joker her first day after being kidnapped. Walking down the stairs, she saw the Joker sitting by himself at a table in the center off the room. Once again, to Lyla's delight, she saw food waiting for her below. When the Joker saw Lyla coming down the last few steps, he got up from his chair, approached her, and hooked his arm around hers. Unlike the night before, the Joker was not as gentle with his captive; jerking her towards her seat and forcing her to sit down. After he returned to his own place at the table, the Joker stared Lyla up and down. The lust he had for her was unquenchable. Now that she had given in to his ways of anarchy and chaos, he was sure that there was no one who could get in the way of him being with her.

Lyla sat silently and ate her breakfast, hesitant to make conversation. The Joker did not act the same as he did the night before. His makeup was again caked on his face, and he no longer looked at her in adoration, but as if she was something to eat. Once she had finished her food, she pushed her plate away and looked around the room. "Well," she said with a curious tone. "What now?"

"Now," replied the Joker. "You must make a choice."

"What do you mean?"

The Joker laughed and stood up from his chair. "Always questions with you!" he laughed, stepping closer to Lyla. "Aren't you smart enough to figure some of this out on your own?"

"I could if you would stop making your statements so difficult to understand," joked Lyla, smiling at her ability to use sarcasm in the face of one of the most sinister villains in history. The Joker took noticed and laughed.

"Good answer! But aren't the best jokes the ones you never get?" he said. "Now, as I was saying, you must make a choice tonight. We've had such a good time this past week, haven't we? Don't tell me you haven't enjoyed the whole anarchy thing. But there's still one problem. One last detail we must put aside before you are completely mine…the Batman. You see, no matter how much you've changed to adjust to my lifestyle, which I really appreciate, you still have a speck of yearning to be rescued. You're still waiting for some guy dressed up as a flying rodent to break down the door, put me in jail, and sweep you off your feet. But do you see him anywhere? Hmmm?"

Lyla was taken aback by the Joker's speech. He was right. The hero she thought would always be there for her hadn't come for her yet. Her mouth fell halfway open out of disappointment and shock. Where was he? Why hadn't he showed up to rescue her? Surely he had enough time to come and save her. Speechless, Lyla shook her head to answer the Joker's question.

"That's what I thought," said the Joker, kneeling down beside his prisoner. "Your hero has failed you. He's nowhere to be found. But who has always been there for you? Who's always been watching over you, teaching you new and exciting ways on how to live in this cruel and cold world?" Lyla didn't answer. "Oh, come on. I'm the one with the questions now, and you won't answer?"

"You have," replied Lyla softly.

"I'm sorry, I didn't quite catch that."

"You have."

"You're gonna have to say that a little louder."

"YOU HAVE!" At this point, Lyla was on the verge of tears. She didn't want to say those words, but she knew they were true. In hopes of calming her down, the Joker took Lyla's hand and held on to it tightly.

"Oh, sssshhhhh. It's alright. I know the truth hurts, but that's life! Now, you must decide. Choose between one life or the other. Stay some side dish for a guy who thinks he's a bat, or _become this Joker's harlequin."_

Lyla stared down at her hand. She gazed at the black ring the Joker had given her. Why did he insist on torturing her like this? Over the past few days, she had grown fond to the Joker. She didn't know how or why, but he had slowly gained control over her emotions. At the same time, she was still in love with Bruce. As much as she had become accustomed to the darkness, she hungered for the light.

Before she could answer the Joker's difficult question, she heard a scream coming from down the hall. Lyla lifted her head quickly to take a closer listen to the noise. "What was that?" she asked the Joker.

"Oh that? It's just our guests," he replied. "Nothing for you to worry your pretty little head about." Suddenly, Lyla heard the scream again. This time, she thought she could make out the sound of a child crying out for help. Shaking off the Joker's embrace, she leapt out of her chair and headed towards the voice. "Lyla, come back here!" bellowed the Joker. Not only had Lyla become less afraid of the clown price of crime, but she had also found the courage to defy him.

The screaming led her down a dim-lit corridor and in front of a door similar to the one she was locked behind for almost a week. She reached for the handle and, to her surprise, the door was unlocked. When she opened it and looked inside, Lyla stood horrified at what she saw. Inside were about 15 people sitting up against each other with their hands tied in front of them. One of the hostages happened to be a small, blonde-haired boy who must have been the culprit for the screaming. All inside gazed at Lyla in fright when she opened the door. Lyla did nothing but cover her mouth with her hands and stare. Her eyes were fixed on the little boy, whose eyes were filled with tears. "Please help us!" he cried.

Lyla didn't know what was going on. Why were these people here? What did the Joker want with them? How could he want to hurt someone so young? She now realized how foolish she had been. This past week, the realism of the Joker's true evil had been forgotten; overpowered by seduction and lust. As she looked over the frightened group, her memory began to return. She remembered the masquerade ball, the break-in, Jessica's death. Her hope for a hidden goodness inside of him disappeared. All that was left was a vision of the real Joker.

Coming to her senses, Lyla rushed to the little boy's side. Kneeling down beside him, she gently smoothed the top of his head with her palm to calm him down. "It's going to be alright. I'm going to get you all out of here." She then began to untie the boy's hands. "I'm Lyla," she continued, trying to stop the boy's flood of tears. "What's your name?"

"James," he sniffed, looking into Lyla's eyes in adoration. "James Gordon."

Lyla suddenly stopped untying the boy in alarm. "Gordon?"

Before he could respond, the little boys look of hope faded as he looked up and screamed. "Lyla, watch out!" Lyla didn't even have time to react before the Joker was pulling her to her feet by her brown, curly hair. She grunted in pain the Joker brought her body in front of him, with her back facing him, and grabbed her waist. He vigorously pulled her tightly against his chest, and, with a strong grip still on her scalp, jerked her head back. Taking full advantage of her plight, he rubbed his nose against the side of her neck; taking in her sweet scent.

"Don't be a hero, Lyla," he whispered into her ear, forcefully yanking her head back even more. "It's not worth it." He then let go of her hair and her waist, replacing his hold of her by firmly grabbing both of her arms and pushing her out of the room. Lyla tried with all her might to break free.

"What are you doing?" she cried, struggling with every last ounce of energy to prying away the Joker's bruising grip. "Let go of me! Let go!" Without any luck on her part, the Joker and Lyla were soon out of the hostage's room with the door slamming behind them. He forced Lyla back to the center of the warehouse, where two of his masked henchmen were waiting patiently for him. Coming back over to the table, the Joker forced Lyla back into her chair. From there, one of the henchmen took her hands and tied them behind her back tightly with rope. This time, she didn't struggle as much. What she really wanted was answers.

"Who were those people?" she yelled, making sure to get her question across.

"Who?" the Joker said sarcastically, overseeing the handy work of his henchmen.

"This is not the time for jokes! Now, I've got even more questions, and you're going to answer them!"

Once again the Joker knelt down beside Lyla and impishly looked her in the eyes. "Oh, feisty today, aren't we? Just the way I like you!" The Joker then laughed and placed his hand on Lyla's thigh.

"Get your hands off of me!"

"Or what? There's not much you could do to me at this point. You seem a bit 'tied up.'" Cackling, he stood up and pulled his chair close to Lyla's. "Ok, fine. What was the question again?"

"Who were those people?"

"Insurance."

"Don't play games with me, Joker!"

"Looks like someone's lost their sense of humor. Alright, if you want us to be serious, they are the loved ones of about half of the folks down at MCU."

"Why are they here?"

"They are here because I need some way of getting the police to sit on the sidelines of today's events."

"What events?"

"Today, me and my mob buddies are attacking the city. I've told them they can go out and do… well… whatever they feel like. Whether it's robbing a bank, or shooting someone in the face. And with the families of Gotham City Police under my 'sweet and tender' care, they have no choice but to stay inside and pray that I don't decide to kill them on a whim."

Lyla paused for a moment and looked down towards the floor. "And the boy?"

"Oh, he's the VIP of everyone in that room. That's the commissioner's pride and joy. Without him, Gordon might have already called 20 cop cars out on a city-wide search. And if that would have happened, I would have blown of their girlfriends, brothers, friends all sky high. Oh, but there is one person I am letting attempt to save the day. Come on, try and guess who it is."

Lyla looked up to meet the Joker's eyes, staring at him with an intimidating look. "What makes you think you can beat him."

"Oh, I already have. You see, he's going to be spending too much time cleaning up the scum of Gotham roaming the streets with pistols flaring and trying to rescue those captives, that he won't have the time to claim his prize for all of the hard work and good citizenship he displays… you. And when he doesn't come to your rescue, you'll have no choice but to become mine."

"I thought that was my decision."

"You lost that privilege when you ran off to play 'heroine'. I thought you liked being bad for a change."

Lyla said nothing. Was it still true that she had enjoyed her lessons in chaos? If so, she mustn't let the Joker in on it. "Batman will come for me."

"We'll see," said the Joker, standing up with and angry expression showing off from his face. He then looked over to the henchmen and nodded. Each of them grabbed Lyla's arms and lifted her from the chair, taking her completely by surprise. They walked with her towards the exit; Lyla fighting back and screaming the whole time.

"No, please! Let go me! Joker!"

Before he could hear another shriek from his love, they had left the building and were waiting on him outside. The Joker took one last look around the warehouse. He was leaving a team here to guard the hostages, and was taking one to guard him and Lyla. Walking towards the door, he began to laugh under his breath.

"Batman will come for you? That's the funniest thing I've ever heard."

**************************

_Dear Batsy,_

_Tomorrow's the big day and you have shown no efforts to rescue your little girlfriend. So much for being the hero! But since I'm such a "nice guy," I'm going to give you a little help. You will find Lyla and me on the top of the Prewitt Building. Remember the place? Don't forget, if you aren't beside her by midnight, she will forever be beside me. And please, take your time. There are plenty of other people in Gotham who will be asking, or screaming, for your help. You've got plenty of innocent citizens how will be running from the mob. Oh, and the families of the MCU will be awaiting your arrival. You're going to have a full agenda tomorrow! Can you handle it?_

The Joker had just made Batman's job easier and harder at the same time. When Gordon had given him the letter late last night, Bruce rushed home to analyze it. He sighed in relief as he read the Joker's instructions on where to find Lyla. However, he grieved at the realization that it was no longer Lyla who needed to be saved. The whole city would be in panic tonight. And with Gordon's son, along with others, being held hostage by the Joker, it was going to be even more difficult to reach her in time.

"Master Wayne!" called Alfred from across the Batcave, interrupting Bruce's train of thought. "I think I've found it!" At the sound of those words, Bruce put down the letter that he had read at least a hundred times and made his way towards Alfred. He was standing beside a large computer screen which showed a record of rented warehouses along the river.

"This one here, Master Wayne," said Alfred, pointing to a spot on the screen. "Rented out by one Jack Napier. Unavailable until midnight of tonight. Sounds like the a limited engagement for the Joker."

"I'll check it out tonight. If it's not there, it has to be one close to it." Bruce left Alfred alone and approached a small button on the side of the wall. Pushing the button made a large case holding his Batsuit arise from the floor. Bruce stared at the outfit and took in a few deep breaths.

"This will all end tonight."


	19. Chapter 19

Lyla sat quietly in the back of the Joker's black van. The henchmen had thrown her in there after her and the Joker's argument, and began driving soon after. She spent the whole ride trying to breaking out of the ropes that were binding her hands and thinking through what her captive had planned for Gotham City. She was infuriated at what he had done; kidnapping innocent people to insure chaos. As mad as she was, she couldn't help but recollect over the past week. The Joker had brought up many strong and true points about life, seducing her with ideas of anarchy and evil. For a moment, she had tried forgetting her enjoyment of the Joker's company when she little James Gordon sitting in that dark room with his hands tied in front of him; however, those warm feelings returned. Lyla hated to admit it, but she still had feelings for him. She didn't know whether it was his hypothesis on madness or the fact that a man was willing to kill just so he could be with her, but whatever the Joker was doing, it was working.

As soon as Lyla felt her wrists bleed from the tight ropes, the van came to a screeching halt. There were no buckles, so Lyla was forcefully thrown backwards. After a few seconds, the doors of the van flung open, and two of the Joker's henchmen reached inside to pull Lyla out; another henchman showed up later to help. Once outside, she saw the tall buildings of Gotham's business district towering above her. The Joker made his appearance climbing out of the passenger's. He approached Lyla and gently lifted her chin with his index finger. "Take her inside, top floor. And make sure she feels at home."The Joker then brought his face to hers and gently kissed her lips. Lyla was surprised when she found herself kissing him back.

It was a small kiss, a tender kiss. The kind of kiss that seemed like he was apologizing for something. When he pulled away, he stared Lyla down, licked his lips, and smiled. "I'll meet you upstairs," he said. The Joker then made an upward motion with his hand and the henchmen dragged Lyla into a large skyscraper. From there, the men proceeded to take her to the top floor. When they exited the elevator, the men pushed her into a larger room surrounded by windows. As she walked deeper into the room, each of the masked henchmen made a close circle around her.

"So, what is it that the Boss finds so appealing about you?" asked one of the men, stepping only inches away from Lyla. "Is it your looks?" He came even closer and ran his hands through her hair.

"I say it's her body," another one said, rubbing his hand across her arm.

"Don't touch me," said Lyla as she tried breaking out of the circle.

"Oh no, it's definitely her personality!' said the third man. He grabbed Lyla and threw her into another. Back and forth, the henchmen tossed her back and forth until finally one of the men pushed her to the ground. Tears filled her eyes as the men drew in closer. Lyla closed her eyes, hoping when she opened them, the nightmare would be over. As she prayed for freedom, the sound of a gunshot filled the room. Lyla opened her eyes to see one of the henchmen lying beside her with blood pouring out of his chest. Screaming, she sat up and saw the Joker standing over her pointing a smoking gun at the others.

"No one touches her but me! Understand!" he cried furiously. Lyla had never seen the Joker so angry before. His scared smile didn't help his expression of pure rage and his voice was deep and harsh. With the gun still positioned in the surviving henchmen's direction, he rushed to them with fury in his steps. "Go and join the others before I decide to permanently fire you!" The masked men left and the Joker stood in his place with his back to Lyla.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

"I'm fine," she said, trying to calm her nerves. The Joker walked towards the window as she attempted to adjust herself with her hands still tied behind her back.

"I'm sorry about this, Lyla. But I promise you it will all be worth it. And when I say that this is nothing personal, you know that I'm telling the truth." Lyla said nothing. She found a large beam nearby and leaned up against it to ease her shaking body. The two remained in silence as the Joker continued to stare out into the night sky. Lyla watched him like a hawk, anticipating his next move. She was grateful to him for saving her from his henchmen's game, but still was mad about their earlier argument. She was frustrated tired, yet still had affection to the monster. Lyla was flattered to know that even a man as evil as the Joker could love. Thinking over what was said prior to their arrival, she took a deep breath and found the gumption to break the quietness of the room.

The Joker then walked towards Lyla and kneeled down beside of her. He gently placed his hand, which was still shaking out of anger, upon her check and the other clinched onto her arm, just above the scar he had given her. Rubbing his hand up and down her arm, he locked Lyla in a deadly stare. "This will all be over soon," he said. "Just a few more hours and you will be mine forever. And even if the Bat does show up, you will always belong to me. No matter where you are, I'll be there. Whether I'm watching you from the next room or torturing you inside your mind, there is no way you could get away from me. And there's no way I could be away from you. You drive me crazy, Lyla."

The Joker brought Lyla closer to him and gently kissed her. Like their earlier affair, this kiss was gentle and passionate. For a moment, Lyla was unable to remember why she was mad as she let herself go in the mad man's embrace. When he finally pulled away, the Joker laughed at how his red makeup had smeared onto her lips. With his thumb, he spread the makeup to make Lyla have the same red smile as his. "There!" he proclaimed. "Much better!" Snickering, the Joker stood up and walked towards the window. Lyla came to reality and watch the Joker pace the floor.

"Joker," she said trying to catch his attention. "Even if he doesn't come they're never going to let us be together."

"Who's going to stop us?"

"Don't you think the police will come looking for you after all of this is over? They'll hunt you down. And when they find you, they'll take me away. Is that what you want?"

"I don't plan on staying in Gotham for much longer."

"What?"

"I've grown tired of this city. It's time for me to move on to bigger and better things. And you're coming with me."

"But what…"

"Don't worry about him, Lyla. If he hasn't found you know, I doubt he ever will." The Joker again walked back to Lyla and knelt down beside of her. "Just think of it, Lyla; a new city, a new start. We can introduce anarchy to a whole new area, maybe even to the world. And with you by my side, nothing can stop us."

Lyla looked into his eyes, wondering what to say. She had never known anyone who wanted her, needed her so much. Flattered, Lyla smiled and said, "If he doesn't come for me, then I'm yours." The Joker grinned back at her, got up, and headed towards the window again. Lyla looked around the room. It was empty except for her and the Joker. Dust covering the ground could only seen by the light given off by the moon hanging high over Gotham City. Gazing at her surroundings, she caught her reflection in the mirror. She stared at the smeared makeup across her cheeks; how the Joke had made a smile just like his. Lyla didn't know how to take it. At first she thought it was funny seeing the evidence of their kiss still lingering on her lips. But then she thought of what the smile stood for. Every time they kissed, every time they looked into each others' eyes, she was becoming more like him. She was giving up her life for chaos. Then she thought of Bruce. How could she betray him like this? While he, hopefully, was trying to rescue her, she was having an affair with her captor. She loved Bruce, but she also loved the Joker. She wanted that life of risk and adventure, but she knew living a life with the Clown Prince of Crime would be impossible. As she thought over this sick and twisted love triangle, Lyla hung her head and stared at the floor. She meant what she said when she told the Joker that she would give herself to him if Batman did not come for her; however, she was sure he would be there.

Lifting her head, she saw the Joker staring out at the Gotham skyline. He looked over his shoulder to Lyla, and then pulled a small device out of his pocket. He placed his fingers on a lever fastened to it and smiled. "And here…we…go!"

With a turn of the lever, Gotham City went into darkness.

*********************************************

_Meanwhile_

Paolo Maroni stood in the ally with his group of men for about an hour. Everyone was getting antsy. They were told to lay low until they were told otherwise. No one knew what the signal would be, but knowing the Joker, everyone knew it wouldn't go unnoticed. Paolo was getting impatient. Standing with his men, he wondered if the Joker would keep his word and keep the police out of their way while they attacked Gotham.

"Hey boss," whispered one of the mobsters. "When are we going to get to kill someone? You said…"

"Shut up!" he replied harshly. "You want us to get caught before we even start? He'll tell us what to do. Any minute now…"

Suddenly, every light in Gotham went out. The city was thrown into blackness. Panic could be heard from every building. As the chaos ensued, people began to shuffle out of their homes looking for answers. They wandered the streets, searching for a cop to talk to or a neighbor to interrogate. Paolo smiled as he saw how the Joker had let them know that the time had come to bring Gotham to its knees. "It's show time, boys!" he shouted. Paolo cocked his guns and, followed by his band of weapon carrying men, raced into the streets and began to fire at will.

****************************************************

Batman raced on the batpod towards the edge of the city; the tires screeching against the pavement at every turn, the buildings and citizens around him becoming nothing but a blur. He didn't care about whom or what was surrounding him, he only thought of the mission at hand. The hostages must be recovered, and he also had to make sure he rescued Lyla in time.  
Because of Gotham's size, it took him awhile to get to his desired destination. When he finally made it to the docks and found the location of the captives, Batman looked around to check the security of the building. Two clowned men stood in front of the door, armed with guns. He did not know how many were inside or where they were stationed. As he looked around, he saw a fire escape on the side if the building which climbed to a glass skylight on the roof; a perfect alternate entrance.  
Suddenly, the glow coming from the Gotham skyscrapers and streetlights was extinguished. Batman turned around to see if he could make out what had caused the blackout. Following the darkness came the sounds of desperate cries for help and the bangs of guns. The Joker had already begun his attack on Gotham City. Batman jerked his head back towards the building. Without time to make a definite plan, he dismounted the batpod and ran up the fire escape.  
Once he had reached the top if the building, Batman crawled across the roof to get a better look into the warehouse from the skylight. Several more masked henchmen waited inside. Three were sitting with their feet propped up in a table. Others roamed the hallways, guns in hand. One particular clown caught his eye. With a painted stocking pulled over his head, he was only one guarding a single door in the lower level. Batman determined that the door hid the families if the Major Crimes Unit. He stood up and took a deep breath and slammed his foot against the skylight; causing the glass to shatter into a million pieces. Quickly, the dark knight jumped inside and spread his cape open to glide him to the ground.  
Once he landed safely on his feet, he raised his fist and prepared for battle. Most of the henchmen stood in shock, while the rest rushed towards the scene, ready to strike. One by one they came; aiming their guns and fists in the Batman, and one by one they fell. Batman threw his fists, knocking many of the henchmen out cold. His heart was full of fury and determination. No one would stop him from rescuing his love.  
With every henchman he fought off, the closer he got to the door. Once there, the panty hose- clad clown stared terrified at the Batman. He dropped his gun and raced towards the door. Batman didn't bother to stop him, but kept his mind in the task at hand. Pulling at the door, he realized that it was locked and immediately thought of another way to get it open. He lifted his leg and fiercely kicked at the door. As he kicked, the sounds of sorrowful screams could be heard from inside. The vigilante kicked several more times before the door swung open; revealing the Batman to the hostages. Their tears soon ceased and joyful smiles expressed their thankfulness for salvation.  
Looking around the room, he saw piles of rope lying on the ground. Someone had already come to untie them before he had arrived. Suddenly, Commissioner Gordon's young son arose from the crowd, raced towards the Batman, and hugged him around the waist. "I knew you'd come for us!" he shouted in excitement. Batman smiled and knelt down in his knee.  
"Are you alright?" he asked.  
"Yes, we're all fine. You're sidekick tried to help us."  
"Sidekick?"  
"Yeah! She didn't wear a mask or costume like you though. She came in and untied me. I helped untie everyone else."  
"Did she what her name was?"  
"Her name was Lyla."  
Batman's heart began to speed up and his eyes widened in excitement. The Joker had kept his word. Lyla was still alive. "Is she still here?"  
The boy's smiled quickly turned into a frown. "No. When she was trying to rescue us, the Joker came for her. He grabbed her and drug her out if the room." Tears began to fill his eyes as he spoke. "She was screaming. But even though he was being very cruel to her, the Joker seemed to like her."  
Batman froze in his place. Lyla was alive, but she was still being held hostage by the Joker. And what Alfred had told him was true; Batman and the Joker were not only fighting for Gotham, but also for Lyla. Coming to his senses, he looked at the boy dead in the eyes and gently grasped his shoulders. "Stay here. Watch after the others while I'm gone." Then, with great speed, leapt to his feet and rushed towards the door.  
"Batman!" the boy cried after him. Batman stopped and turned his head. "Are you going to rescue her?" The masked hero simply smiled then ran out the door.  
Back outside, Batman grabbed a small phone from his utility belt. Dialing quickly, he pressed the phone and waited for someone to answer.  
"This is Gordon."  
"The hostages are safe. Have a couple cars come to the docks for them. Send the rest to control the situation downtown."  
Without waiting for a response, Batman hung up the phone. He waited for a few minutes when the screams of terror coming from the heart of the city were deafened by the sirens of police cars. Taking a deep breath, Batman mounted the batpod and revved the engine.  
"I'm coming for you, Lyla."

********************************************

Lyla had fallen asleep against the beam with her hands still securely tied behind her back. The cries for help and sounds of bullets flying through the sky from outside had slowly faded into a lullaby. She did not dream as she rested; too tired to even have nightmares. When she finally awoke from her slumber, her eyes were blurry and her head was throbbing. The stress and pain of the past week was now taking a toll on her head.  
When eyes finally came into focus, her gaze fell upon the Joker as he paced back and forth near the window, as if he was waiting on something. Lyla continued to look around the room. Searching every corner, her eyes came across an old rusted, old clock hanging against the far wall near the door. She had to squint her eyes to see what it said, but panicked when she finally could make out the time; it was only 30 minutes until midnight. Lyla's heartbeat began to quicken, her breathe became heavier, her eyes widened and filled with tears. "Where was he?" she thought to herself. "Surely he would have come for me by know. That is, if he really cared for me…"

Suddenly, the echoes of gunshots outside were deafened by the sound of sirens. Blue and red lights began to flash in the sky. The police had come to end the Joker's regain of terror. But if they were here, that means the hostages at the warehouse were in danger. At this epiphany, Lyla commenced her efforts to unbind her hands, but it was no use. She screamed in pain as the coarse ropes rubbed against her wrists. Hearing Lyla, the Joker turned his head to see what was going on. He smiled and spun his head back around to watch over the chaos that as ensuing below them. "Well, it seems like the Commissioner just doesn't want to listen to me," he said, pulling out a phone from his coat pocket. "But don't worry. His son will pay the price for his impatience."

"Joker, don't do it!" shouted Lyla, struggling even harder.

"Shhhh! I'm on the phone." The Joker pressed the phone against his ear and waited for someone. Minutes passed and no one answered. He tried dialing the number again, but there was nobody on the other end. The evil smile the Joker had was soon wiped clean from his face. Something was wrong. Without any luck, he hung up the phone and clenched it tightly in his fist. Then, with all of his anger rushing through his veins, he yelled as loud as he could and hurled the phone into the wall. Lyla jumped at the sight of the Joker so angry. She stared at him as he stood in place; his fists clinched together in a ball and his chest pounding as he attempted to catch his breath. Without calming down, he ran over to Lyla and grabbed her by the throat. Lyla, now used to the Joker's violent ways, hardly filched as he squeezed her neck tighter with his gloved hand.

"Why does your little Batboy have to ruin everything for me?" he screamed, shaking Lyla as he asked the question. "I had the most perfect plan. Perfect! And he has to screw it all up. And I hate when people ruin the joke before you have the chance to finish it! But you know what? I still have you. You're mine, and he won't take that away from me. He won't one to ruin you. I will."

**********************************************

Once he was back in the city, he found policemen everywhere arresting and fighting off whatever mob members didn't run away when they heard sirens coming after them. Everyone made way as he sped through the streets on the batpod. They knew there was still work to be done, so they got of his way and left him to his work. When he reached the Pruitt Building, he leapt off the batpod and ran into the building. He rushed to the elevator, only to find that it had inconveniently been shut down. The Joker was doing everything possible to keep him away from Lyla.

When he finally found the stair case, he took off running towards the top floor. He didn't even notice how his breath began shorter because he was so focused on the task at hand. After several minutes, Batman finally reached the top floor, he opened the staircase door and found a dark hallway leading to yet another door. Hanging on the door was a clock. As he walked closer to it, he saw that he had made it just in time, with a minute to spare. He kicked open the door and prepared for battle. Unfortunately, he found no one inside.

Near the window was a large telescope with a small tag hanging from it. Slowly approaching the telescope, Batman lifted the tag and read its inscription.

_What are you doing over here? You're going to be late!_

Horrified, Batman looked through the telescope and saw Lyla and the Joker together in the building opposite of him. The Joker had given him the wrong location.


	20. Chapter 20

Tears began to fill Lyla's eyes as she gazed up at the clock. It was one minute past midnight and Batman was nowhere to be found. She frantically looked around the room, hoping to find the caped crusader lurking in the shadows. Unfortunately, there was no sign of him. Only the Joker and she inhabited the room. Her heart was racing, her eyes fluttered nervously, her stomach was painfully turning inside of her. It was all over. She now belonged of the Joker.

"He didn't come for me," Lyla thought to herself. "How could he? I thought he would always be there for me, to be my hero." As Lyla began to gasp for breath, she heard the Joker laughing in front of her. She lifted her head to see him still standing near the window with his back hunched over. Lyla leaned over, but could barely see his reflection in the window. The Joker was wearing a menacing smile and raised his hands to crack his knuckles. He then opened up his coat and reached into a small pocket in his jacket. A small, black handle with a miniscule silver button near its top soon appeared in his hand. Bringing his arm down by his side, he turned his head to stare at Lyla.

"Time's up!" the Joker exclaimed as he pressed the silver button on the handle, making a sharp, intimidating blade fly out from its tip.

Lyla tensed as she saw the knife in the Joker's hand, but she knew there was nothing she could do. She had made a promise to him; committing herself to his ways of anarchy if Batman did not rescue her by midnight. Even though she knew there was no use trying to escape, her hands twitched nervously against the ropes binding her wrists as he slowly approached her, twirling the weapon in his right hand. She continued to look around the room out of disbelief just in case she had missed Batman in her early searches. Still nothing.

"Where is he, Lyla?" the Joker asked her sarcastically as he noticed her panicky searching. "He's not here, and he's not going to be here anytime soon. By the time he does decide to show up, it'll be too late. We'll be long gone. And I would have already made you mine." The Joker then knelt beside Lyla and brushed away the hair from her eyes. He smiled at her with a smile that almost seemed human. The smile soon faded, and his look of seriousness and passion that only Lyla had seen quickly filled his face. "We made a deal, Lyla. You have no choice but to honor that promise now. Your chance for salvation is long gone. Now I'm going to drag you down to Hell with me. Heck, we'll take the city with us if you want! What do you say? Are you ready?"

Lyla stopped crying. Batman wasn't coming. More importantly, Bruce wasn't there. Bruce's absence was what hurt Lyla the most. It seemed as if he loved his alter ego more than her. If he cared, she wouldn't be stuck in her current predicament. It was the Joker who was here now, holding her tight under his control. Though her heart was still heavily conflicted with mixed emotions on her ideals on the Joker's methods on living and love, she looked him dead in the eye and for once admitted to herself that she truly did have feelings for the Clown Prince of Crime. "I'm ready," she said, choking on her words.

The Joker smiled at her viciously. He took his left hand and gently grasped onto the back of her neck. Then he took his knife and pressed it against Lyla's check. Realizing what was about to happen, Lyla began to struggle out of his grip. The Joker only tightened his hold on her, squeezing her neck to the point where she could barely move any part of her body. "Now, now, Lyla. You promised!" he laughed. More tears began to flood Lyla's eyes. She had promised to be his, but she never signed up for this. Starring up at the Joker with her eyes wide with terror, she unwillingly allowed her body to become limp in his arms. "I have to warn you, my dear," he continued. "This will hurt…a lot. But it'll be worth it in the end. Everyone will be able to see that you are mine. Now, _let's put a smile on that face!_"

With great ease, the Joker slid the blade into the inside of Lyla's mouth. He stared at Lyla and observed his victim as though he were examining a painting; his gaze piercing into his masterpiece, his hand steady to paint the canvas crimson, his brush ready to cut. The force applied to bottom of the blade was already making a tiny incision in the corner of Lyla's mouth. A small drop of blood raced towards her chin as the Joker licked his lips and prepared himself to give Lyla scars identical to his.

Just as the Joker lifted his elbow to slice the inside of Lyla's mouth, a horrible crash was heard directly behind him. He felt small pieces of glass bounce off of his back. Lyla didn't scream at the sound, afraid to speak with the knife pressed against her cheek. Without removing the knife from its position, he quickly jerked his head around to see what was interrupting him from his mission. Behind him, the Dark Knight was kneeling down on one knee in a pile of shattered glass. His cape was fully extended, indicated that he had flown into the window from the building opposite of them. Furious, the Joker took the knife out of Lyla's mouth, stood up, and stared down the vigilante. He would thought Batman would have arrived much later, hesitating as he cried over yet another lost love.

"Ah, glad you could join us!" the Joker said irately. "You must be one who loves to arrive 'fashionably late.'" The Joker laughed at his own joke as he took great joy in his enemy's obvious lack of good time-keeping. Without replying, Batman grabbed the Joker by his collar and through him with great force into the wall. Upon hitting the cement wall, the Joker slumped down into in great pain. Batman didn't take a second look at him, but raced to Lyla's side to make sure she was okay.

"Lyla, are you alright?" he asked, placing his hands on her arms. Lyla, who was taken aback by his touch, began to shake in his arms. She looked up and stared into his mask with desperate eyes. Batman gazed right back at her. He was confused by the way she stared. It seemed as if Lyla was afraid of him. "Lyla, don't worry. I'm going to get you out of here."

Batman then turned Lyla around so he could reach her bonds. The untied her ropes with great speed, but still remained very cautious of her bleeding wrists. Once he was done, he turned her back around to face him, hoping to receive a different reaction that earlier. This time, Lyla stared down at her weak hands, inspecting every burn and every cut. She didn't dare look up at the masked vigilante. "How dare he show his face here!" she thought to herself. "Why show up now if you didn't bother coming in time to save me."

"You didn't come," Lyla finally said aloud, but in a very shy and meek voice.

"Lyla, I tried. But…"

"You didn't come."

"Please let me explain!"

Lyla looked up, ready to give the Batman a piece of her mind. Instead, her attention was caught by the image of the Joker standing directly behind Batman with his knife aimed at his back. "Watch out! She cried. Batman jerked his body around at the sound of her warning, and snatched the Joker's wrist right before he could stab the knife into his back. Thinking quickly, the Joker pulled his arm away from Batman's grip and ferociously kicked him in the ribs. Batman doubled over in pain, but soon regained his strength and stood up, ready to fight.

"You're too late, Batsy! We made an agreement. Because you didn't show up by midnight, the girl's mine. She now knows what kind of hero you really are. Corrupt into crime fighting, replacing what really matters to you with your 'duty to society'!"

"Lyla, don't listen to him!" Batman exclaimed, keeping his eye on the Joker's every move. "He's lying to you!"

"On the contrary, Batman. I'm the only one who has given her the real truth."

"If that's true, why don't you tell her how you lied to me about where she would be?"

"If you really cared for her more than you did your job, you would have been here in plenty of time to correct my mistake."

"This end tonight, Joker! You've tortured us for too long."

"Why my dear, delusional Dark Knight, this is only the beginning."

With those words, the Joker charged at the Batman with his knife ready to be plunged into his foe's heart. Lyla watched as the two men continued to battle. For once, it seemed as if they were fighting for something besides Gotham City. They were fight for her love. The Joker fought off the Batman's punches with hardly any trouble; as did the Batman with the Joker's swings. At one point, Batman caught one of the Joker's punches and pushed back his wrist until the knife fell from his hand. The weapon landed only inches from Lyla's hand. Batman then balled his fist and struck the Joker's stomach with great force. The Joker bent over, wrapped his arms round his stomach, and merely laughed at his pain.

The Joker stood up again to see the Batman running towards him for another blow. With clown-like ability, he simply placed his hands behind his back and stuck his foot out in front of him as the Batman approached him; causing the vigilante to trip and slammed his head against the wall. This time, Batman failed to get up. The Joker watched as his enemy covered his head and lied on the ground in agony. Slowly, he walked towards the Batman and pulled a small automatic gun out of his pants pocket as his laughter filled the air. "All that armor makes you very clumsy!" chuckled the Joker. When he finished laughing, the Joker pointed the gun and Batman and smiled ear to ear. "Say good night, Batsy."

"Stop!" cried Lyla. Both Batman and the Joker turned their head to look at her. Using all of her strength, Lyla stood up and face them. "Don't do it, Joker."

"Give me one reason why I shouldn't," he replied. His voice was hoarse and filled with anger. "With him out of the picture, we can be together at last. Or do you just want to keep him alive because you still have faith in your stupid hero. If that's the case, then all the more reason to put down the Bat!"

Lyla hesitated, thinking of what to say to him. Without hearing a reply, the Joker turned back around and pointed his gun back at Batman. "You didn't finish!" she called before he could pull the trigger.

"What?"

"You didn't finish what you had started."

"You mean…"

"Yes."

"Lyla, no!" Batman yelled, trying to push himself up.

"Just shut up, will you!" she cried. "You have no say in this. You had your chance, but know I see how you really are. You're no hero. You're just a man who loves to play dress up and get into fights." The Joker laughed at her joke, glad to see her finally seeing his side of life.

Batman stared at Lyla with sorrow in his eyes. "Lyla, listen to me!"

"No! No more! I no longer belong to you!" Lyla shook as she yelled at him. Anger filled her lungs as the words poured from her mouth. Her fists curled into a tight ball and her cheeks became red with fury. "Joker," she continued. He turned his head and gazed at her in wonder. Lyla walked over to him seductively until she was just inches from his face. "Wouldn't it be funny for him to watch? For the hero to watch his loved one fall for the villain right before his very eyes?" The Joker didn't need to say anything to reply. All he did was smile. And Lyla smiled back.

Batman watched in horror as Lyla grabbed the Joker's odd-colored tie and led him back to the beam where she had been sitting before. He sat up in hopes of stopping them before the Joker could make any permanent damage. "Don't do this! It's not worth it!"

The Joker turned around and swiftly struck Batman with the butt of his gun in the same place that had been slammed against the wall. Batman fell to the floor again, but sat up just as fast as he hit the ground. "You know, it's very rude to interrupt. Keep doing it, and I might do worse to her." With no other choice, Batman sat back and watched Lyla give in.

When the Joker was back at Lyla's side, she placed her hands on his cheeks and smoothly rubbed his scars. "Do it," she exclaimed. She then fell to the floor, leaned her head back, and awaited the Joker's next move. He followed Lyla to the ground and pulled out yet another knife from his coat pocket. This time, he wrapped his arms around her back and brought her body against his. Lyla's arms were braced on the ground, prepared for what was to come. Before he placed the knife back in Lyla's mouth, he thought he'd have a little fun on Batman's expense. With Lyla powerless in his arms, he placed the tip of the knife on her stomach and slowly traced a straight path from her naval towards her chest. The Joker grinned as Lyla gasped in ecstasy.

Batman couldn't watch anymore. Even though heroes weren't supposed to be afraid of anything, he didn't have the courage to see Lyla give in to this madman. But he also knew if he tried to do anything about it, the Joker might go too far with how he used his knife. He turned his head and stared at the ground. What he saw next took him completely by surprise. His eyes fell upon Lyla's small hands. One was bracing the ground, while the other looked as if it was gradually reaching towards something. Looking over to that same side, he saw one of the Joker's knives lying only inches from her hand. Rapidly, he looked back up at the interaction between her and the Joker, studying how she seemed to be enjoying her torture. Batman continued to watch as her fingers finally grasped the knife.

Lyla remained still in the Joker's embrace as he once again slipped the blade inside of her mouth. Her hand now held the knife tightly between her fingers. She felt him pressed harder on the inside of her cheek, signifying that he was ready to strike any time now. The Joker looked Lyla dead in the eyes and smirked. "There's no turning back now," he said softly. "You're mine." He then tilted his head back and gave a horrifying laugh. At the same time, with the Joker's knife still in her mouth, Lyla lifted the hand which gripped the other knife and plunged it into the Joker's side.

The Joker gasped as he felt the sting of the blade. Lyla held tight onto the handle, keeping her gaze on him at all times. She had tricked him. Out of agony and out of shock, he released his knife and watched it fall from Lyla's mouth. The two kept their positions and their gaze for what seemed like forever, afraid to let the other out of their sight. Then, with one swift movement, Lyla jerked the knife out of his side. Her hand shook as she watched him scream in pain, but she soon calmed as his screamed slowly turned into a laugh. She wanted to say something to him, wishing she could make some satiric remark like he would. However, there was no need; a violent stab by the person you thought loved you said enough.

The Joker continued to keep his stare. His hand clutched his side, trying his hardest to stop the blood from pouring out of his wound. With the other, along with the rest of his physical strength, grabbed Lyla's hair and jerked her head back to where all she could see was the ceiling, making her scream in pain. Slowly, he brought his lips to her ear; aching with every move he made. Breathing heavily, the Joker opened his mouth to speak. "That's my girl," he forced out. "But you can't get rid of me that quick. I will find you and I _will _have you; one way or another." At those words, the Joker fell down beside Lyla, blood spilling from his side, and drifted into unconsciousness.

Lyla couldn't look away. She sat up and her knees and stared down at the Joker. With both of her hands, she reached out and grasped his hands which were covering the wound. As she held his hands tightly, his blood now covered her hands. It didn't take long at all for tears to form back in her eyes. Had she killed the man who had loved her so much? Lyla thought back to her actions. She loved the Joker, that much was true. But she knew, deep down in her heart, a life with the most wanted man in Gotham could never be. She didn't know if she could live with herself as she sat back and watched him kill innocent people. Lyle didn't see a life in waiting for her man to come home at the end of each night after a big day of working to make the world a more hellish place for everyone inhabiting it. Finding a way to break fact to him was extremely hard, what with finding a way for him not to kill her afterwards. But ending their affair was the only way she knew of making things right, even if it meant ending his act surely hurt him physically, but nothing could compare to the pain Lyla felt in her heart. And if Lyla would have been certain of the Joker having a heart, she's sure he would be feeling the same pain.

With great caution, Batman approached with sorrowful Lyla. He took his time before kneeling beside her. Once he was near enough, he gently took the Joker's wrist and felt for a pulse. "He's not dead," he softly proclaimed. Lyla looked up at him with great surprise and disbelief. At the sight of her expression, Batman took off his mask and gloves, and laid it beside him; confronting his love as himself and not the masked crime fighter.

"Bruce, I'm so sorry!" cried Lyla, choking on her tears. "I didn't mean…I was just trying to…"

"Shhhh, Lyla. It's okay. I'm here." Bruce hugged Lyla tightly against his armored chest. An overwhelming amount of joy filled his soul to finally have his love back in his arms and out of arms way. "And I'm sorry, too. I should have been here sooner, but he gave me the wrong location."

"It's ok. I knew you wouldn't leave me."

Bruce and Lyla sat on their knees for a long time, either of them unwilling to break that moment of peace. After minutes of holding his fiancé and softly smoothing her tangled hair, Bruce spoke up. "We should go. The cops will be here any moment. We'll leave him here and let the authorities take him back to Arkham for treatments." Lyla nodded in agreement, still unable to stop her flow of tears. "Lyla, everything is going to be alright. It's over now."

Lyla looked up at Bruce with her blood-shot eyes. "No, Bruce. It's not over. It will never be over. He's like a cancer. He's always going to be there. No matter what we do, he'll be waiting for me, watching me. Watching us. And no one can stop him. The Joker can never be stopped. Not by Batman. Not me. Not even himself."

Bruce said nothing. He didn't know what Lyla meant by those last words. Thinking she was just delusional after that day's events, he put the statement at the back of his mind and focused on the future. The Joker would no longer have the strength to come after her again. They could now live a peaceful, Joker-less life. Keeping the silence, Bruce reapplied his mask and his gloves, swooped his future bride into his arms, and carried her back home.


	21. Epilouge

"NO!"

Lyla shot up from her sleep in a cold sweat. The Egyptian cotton sheets clung to her silk night gown as she gasped for breath, now wide awake. For so long, Lyla had hardly had one decent night's sleep. Not even tonight; her wedding night. Her nightmares wouldn't spare her this joyous occasion.

This time in her dream, she was running. Running down a dark hallway. She was wearing a long, black dress and deep red lipstick. At the end of the hallway was a lighted mirror. Upon seeing the mirror, her steps slowed. Lyla reached the mirror and stared for a long time. For only a second, she looked down at her hands, and when she lifted her head again, she saw the Joker standing behind her in the mirror. To her surprise, Lyla was not startled. She simply turned around to him and smiled. The Joker smiled too and lifted his hands to reveal a knife resting in his palms. Lyla willing took the weapon from him and turned towards the mirror. From there, Lyla stuck the knife in mouth and grinned. She woke up just as she cut the inside of her cheek like a permanent smile.

Lyla had dreamed that same dream many times before and always woke up at the same time. Sometimes the dream varied, but this particular dream was the most popular and would always come back to haunt her in her slumber. It had been a year since her encounter with the Joker. Every night she was reminded of him with her dreams. "_I will find you and I will have you; one way or another._" His last words to Lyla ran through her mind every spare second of the day. No matter how hard she tried to erase him from his mind, she could never forget.

Bruce, who had been sleeping beside his newly wedded wife, jumped from his sleep as soon as he heard Lyla sleep. "Lyla, what's the matter?" he asked frantically. Lyla said nothing, staring down at the sheets she was clinging to so tightly. "Did you have another nightmare?" he continued. He watched as Lyla slowly shook her head and gently took her hand in his. "It's ok, he's gone now. You don't have to worry about him any longer. I'm here now and you're safe with me. That's all that matters."

Lyla gazed up at her husband in adoration. She was happy now. Happier than ever before. Happier than she would have been with the Joker; or at least she hoped so. With eyes fixed on his, she brought her lips to Bruce and kissed him with incredible passion. The two laid back down on the bed and held each other in their arms, their lips almost glued to the others.

Suddenly, the dark bedroom soon shown with a bright light coming from outside. Bruce and Lyla both sat up and glanced out the window. Shining high in the Gotham City sky was the Bat Signal. At seeing the beckon, Bruce turned back around and buried his head in his hands. "Not tonight," he said softly. "Any night but tonight."

"Bruce, it's alright," Lyla said, hugging his shoulders. "Gotham needs their hero now."

"But I don't want to leave you."

"Bruce, you need to go. It's your job. I understood that when I said 'I do.'" Lyla took Bruce's head in her hands and gave him a small kiss. "I'll be waiting for you when you get home."

Bruce smiled at his wife. He couldn't be happier to have found someone how would still love him as Batman and himself. Without saying another word, Bruce leapt from the bed and head towards a secret compartment in the wall. He didn't look back, and Lyla didn't mind. She knew what had to be done.

After he was gone, Lyla stood up, turned on the lights, and slipped her robe over her silk nightgown. Heading towards the kitchen, she glanced over at the chair near the bed. Her wedding dressed was perfectly draped over it without a crease or fold in sight. It had been the perfect day for a wedding. For once, no clouds filled the sky, and the sun was shining high over the ceremony. And all of Gotham had been there to witness their wedding. But for Lyla, the only person she paid any attention to was Bruce.

Entering the kitchen, Lyla picked up the remote to the television and tuned into GCN as she fixed herself a cup of coffee. Airing at the moment was a discussion on the public pardon of the Batman which Commissioner Gordon had issued the day before. Many people agreed with the decision to allow the vigilante to take part in official crime fighting, while others were still furious over the incident involving Harvey Dent. Even though they didn't see it now, Lyla knew that all the citizens of Gotham would soon see that Batman was the only hope to save their city from total destruction.

Once she had finished up her cup of coffee, Lyla decided to head back to the bedroom and wait for her husband to return. She walked easily back to the room, rubbing her eyes in exhaustion. All of a sudden, she heard the front door slam behind her. Lyla quickly turned around to see who was there. No one was there. She continued to look around, but there was no sign of anyone entering or exiting the room. Everything was in place and where it should have been, and no shadows were being cast by the lights reflecting from the windows. Thinking it was all in her head, Lyla turned back around and opened the door to the bedroom. She slipped off her robe and crawled back into bed. She laid her head down on her pillow and closed her eyes. Before she fell asleep again, she opened her eyes again to take a last look on her wedding gown. To her surprise, something was different about it. Because of the darkness of the room, she couldn't make out exactly what it was, but there was a small object resting on the dress. Slowly, Lyla curiously walked towards the dress and picked up the object. She brought the object up to the light and stared in horror.

In her hand was a playing card with the picture of a Joker on one side and writing on the other; blood red HAHAHAHAHA's surrounding a single quote.

"_I'm still watching you!_"


End file.
